All Locked Up
by DCFanatic4life
Summary: After Jericho and Stephanie get locked in a room together, their lives become a little bit complicated...-Completed finally! -
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people in my story they own themselves or Vince McMahon owns the, whatever, though I would love to own Jericho, but that's a story for another time. Enjoy.

P.S. Please R/R, no flames please.

Note: Takes place before the Jericho/Steph business partners angle.   
Part 1 

"This better work, or we're all in for it," said Jeff Hardy, to his best friend Lita.

"Of course it'll work, trust me," replied Lita.

"Yeah, the last time I did that, I ended up with bruised ribs, if I remember correctly."

"Jeff, just go along with the stupid plan, and stop bitching about it, cause if you don't all I'm gonna hear all night is 'why wouldn't he go with the plan' and I like my beauty sleep," interrupted Matt Hardy.

"Shut up Matt, or you're gonna end up alone tonight, is that what you want?" said an impatient Lita.

Unbeknownst to Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and Chris Jericho was the fact that they were being set up. The three members of Team Extreme were gathered in their locker room discussing a covert operation that Lita jokingly named: Operation Stephanie McMahon-Jericho. Lita, being close to Jericho had already realized that he had a deep affection for one Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, even if he didn't want to admit it, and readily denied it, and she knew the same probably went for Stephanie. And she was sick and tired of them fighting when they really belonged with each other.

Such was the reason for this meeting, Lita was trying to get Matt and Jeff to get in on the plan with her, and help her execute it. Now they didn't exactly believe that Steph and Jericho were "meant to be," but Lita was hard to say no to.

"Fine, I'll do it, but I'm not gonna like it, and if they end up killing each other, it's your fault not mine," Jeff said in his gorgeous North Carolina drawl, "so what exactly is the plan? Or have you not thought that far ahead yet?"

Lita stuck her tongue out at him, and said, "Of course I have a plan, stupid."

"Well then, what the hell is it?" retorted Jeff.

"You two are so annoying you know that," Matt said, "so what's the plan?"

"We lock them in a room together." Lita said proudly.

"That's your brilliant plan, we lock them in a room together, that's it, and you really expect that to work." Jeff snorted.

"Not to say anything against you sweetie, but that plan does seem kinda, well...um...lame." Matt interjected.

"It is not lame! It'll work you just watch, now you two have to get Jericho, and I'll get Stephanie, so there's an empty locker room, and we stick them in there, and they'll work things out," Lita said, "We can do it next Monday on Raw, it'll be perfect."

"I hope for our sake, it does." Jeff said quietly.

And so Operation: Stephanie McMahon-Jericho was underway.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Read Part 1  
  
Part 2  
  
"Heya Princess, out for a little late night hooking?" Jericho asked with a smirk on his face.  
  
"Very funny Jericho, you crack me up." Stephanie countered with sarcasm in her voice.  
  
The two of them had ended up at the hotel bar, but not with each other of course.  
  
"So you're just here drowning your sorrows because your ass-clown of a husband has been on your case lately?"  
  
"I am not drowning my sorrows!!!! And my marriage is not in trouble!"  
  
"I didn't mention anything about your marriage. Seems to me, Stephy, that you're just trying to convince yourself that there's nothing wrong with your marriage." Jericho snidely replied.  
  
"And is that your professional opinion, Dr. Jericho? I don't appreciate you commenting on things you don't know anything about."  
  
"Fine, I'll just talk about things I do know. Well, let's see. I know that you are nothing more than a two-dollar ho who walks."  
  
"Shut up! Oh, you are the most infuriating man ever to walk this earth!" Stephanie said right before she stormed out of the bar.  
  
"Love you too, Princess." Jericho yelled as she left.  
  
There was something about Stephanie that just made Jericho want to tease her all the time. Maybe it was the fact that she was so easy to anger that made it so much fun. Or maybe it was the fact that she was one of the only people who could come back with an equally witty remark. Whatever it was he didn't care, he just found it amusing to torment Stephanie.  
  
Just then Matt and Jeff walked into the bar and spotted Jericho staring off into space, deep in thought. They walked up and took a seat on either side of him.  
  
"Hey man, whatcha thinking about?" Jeff asked.  
  
"Nothing" Jericho replied.  
  
"Well you were awfully involved in thinking about nothing."  
  
"Well, maybe I just don't want you to know what I'm thinking about."  
  
"Ok, no need to get defensive." Matt interjected.  
  
"Yeah, just cause you were thinking about Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, doesn't mean you have to get snippy." Jeff said.  
  
"What makes you think that I would ever eveeeeeer think about that dirty, disgusting, skanky, brutal, bottom-feeding trash bag ho!!!!????"  
  
"I don't know, maybe the fact that she just walked out of here in a huff, and you have that 'I just insulted Steph' look on your face, that's why."  
  
"Well, it's been nice talking to you boys, but I really better be going, got a long night of sleeping ahead of me." Jericho said trying to avoid any further conversation about Stephanie.  
  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jeff asked as soon as Jericho was out of the bar.  
  
"If you're thinking that Lita was right about the two of them, then we are not thinking the same thing" said Matt.  
  
"Oh come on, is the idea that those two could actually have feelings towards one another that don't involve hate so far-fetched?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, I don't care, because I'm starting to think Lita was right all along."  
  
"And I'm starting to think that the two of you should be in a loony bin somewhere." 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Holy crap! My muses came back for this fic, I'm seriously shocked. Oh well, I know it's been a very long time since I updated this, but still I hope you enjoy the story. :)  
  
Part 3  
  
Monday afternoon  
  
The three members of Team Extreme snuck into the Compaq Center in San Jose, CA. They were snooping around trying to find the perfect spot to lock Jericho and Stephanie in. The side of the arena that they had entered was deserted, and they had learned from a reliable source that none of the wrestlers would have their dressing rooms over on this side. So it was the perfect place to execute their plan. They walked over to a small, but spacious room in the deserted hallway.  
  
"This room looks pretty good, there are no windows anywhere and not much that can be broken." Said Lita.  
  
"Yeah, I think it'll work, but how are we supposed to get them in here?" asked Matt.  
  
"Yeah, I don't know if they'd just be willing to come with us to a deserted part of the arena with-"said Jeff.  
  
"Well, we could always tell them there's a meeting that they need to go to. That could work." Lita answered.  
  
"But what if they find out that no one is supposed to be on this side of the backstage area?" Matt asked.  
  
"Maybe we should let someone else in on the plan, and they could pretend that their locker room is over on this side, and that way we can tell them that whoever needs to talk to them," Lita answered.  
  
"Yeah, but who can we get?" Jeff inquired, looking at the other two.  
  
The three of them thought about it for a second. Lita's eyes lit up, and she looked to Jeff. Jeff felt Lita's eyes on him, and he looked up at her. She raised an eyebrow, and immediately Jeff knew exactly whom she was talking about. Matt looked at the two of them, and felt left out that he didn't know whom they were talking about.  
  
"Well, are you going to let me in on this little secret?"  
  
"Trish," Jeff and Lita said at the same time.  
  
~Catering~  
  
The three Team Extreme members walked into catered area, and scanned the room. They noticed Trish standing by soda table, and they quickly walked over to her, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves.  
  
"Hey Trish," Lita said. Trish turned around and smiled at the threesome. She walked over to Jeff and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Hey you guys, what's up?"  
  
"Well, we have this little plan we're working on, and we'd like your help," Lita explained.  
  
"What kind of plan?" Trish asked them, suddenly intrigued.  
  
"A plan to get two people togteher," Jeff told her, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.  
  
"And just which two people are we talking about?"  
  
"Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon."  
  
"What? You're trying to get THEM together? You'd have an easier time trying to get the APA to give up beer."  
  
"Come on Trish, we know they really do like each other, they just need a little bit of prodding," Lita said pleadingly.  
  
"And what exactly is this plan?"  
  
"We're gonna lock them in a room together," Jeff said proudly. Trish let out an very un-lady like guffaw.  
  
"That's your plan, and you expect that to work?" She looked to Matt, who had remained silent, "And what do you think about all of this?"  
  
"I think they're pretty much crazy, but I'll get killed if I don't go along with it."  
  
"Hmm, I see."  
  
"Please Trish, please, please help us," Jeff said, giving her his best pout. Trish laughed and pushed him away.  
  
"How can I resist that face, what do you want me to do?"  
  
"Well, we need to get them to the empty side of the backstage and get them in the same room, that's where you come in," Lita explained to her, "Just tell Stephanie that you need to speak to her in private about something, anything."  
  
"And Chris?"  
  
"Tell him you need help lifting your luggage, and you can't find Jeff. Then when they get in there, we lock the door on them. So you in?"  
  
"Sure, let's get going." 


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4  
  
Trish stood in the middle of the hallway looking out for either Jericho or Stephanie. She had agreed to get the two of them together for the sake of Lita and Jeff's plan. She was kind of anxious to see how this all turned out. She didn't like HHH at all, and if helping this plan along would get Stephanie away from him, then all the better to go along with it she thought.  
  
Trish looked to her left and saw Stephanie walking purposefully down the corridor. Trish smiled as she prepared to coerce Stephanie to follow her to the meeting place that they had found. She put on her best smile, and prepared to lie through her teeth.  
  
"Stephanie," Trish called out, gaining the other woman's attention. Stephanie walked over.  
  
"What is it Trish, I'm kind of busy right now."  
  
"Well, I was talking to your husband and he told me to ask you to meet him on the other side of the arena."  
  
"Why the other side of the arena?" Stephanie asked confused.  
  
"I don't know, he just said he wanted me to take you over there," Trish shrugged her shoulders, trying to act as innocent as possible.  
  
"But it's deserted over there?"  
  
"Well, that's what he told me to tell you, to lead you over there, so he could meet you."  
  
"But why-"  
  
"Maybe he has something romantic planned for you," Trish said exasperated by Stephanie's stubbornness. Jericho didn't know what he was in for.  
  
"Really?" Stephanie's face brightened considerably, "Maybe it's an apology for treating me so badly the last couple of weeks?"  
  
"Yeah, probably," Trish nodded.  
  
"That would make sense because he was being all secretive earlier. Oh, he probably has been planning this for a while, and that's why he's been so testy, because he didn't want me to find out about it," Stephanie gushed, clapping her hands together happily.  
  
Trish nodded again, starting to feel a little bit guilty about lying to Stephanie. She seemed genuinely happy that HHH seemed to finally be taking an interest in her. And now she thought HHH had this whole elaborate set- up to surprise her. She just hoped Stephanie wouldn't be too upset when she found out what was really going on. Hell, maybe by the time they let the two of them out, Stephanie would be thanking her.  
  
"So are you going to lead the way or what?" Stephanie asked impatiently, tapping her foot on the ground. Trish sighed.  
  
"Come on," she said walking in the direction of the other side of the arena. Stephanie followed anxiously.  
  
Trish looked over at Stephanie and could see that she was really excited about what she was hoping to find. It made her sad to think that this was what HHH had reduced Stephanie too, and she hoped that the brunette would soon come to her senses. Maybe Jericho could help her find out.  
  
Trish came upon the door that her and her three cohorts had decided upon, and pushed open the door for Stephanie. Stephanie looked inside, and checked out the room. She didn't see anything really special about it, just a couch and a table. She turned to Trish.  
  
"There's nothing in there, are you sure this is where Hunter told you to meet me, maybe it was another room?"  
  
"No, I'm positive it was this one, he's probably just getting you something," Trish paused, "Oh wait, you know what, he told me to make you wait here, and then he was coming with something."  
  
"Wow, he must have gone all out," Stephanie said, excited again.  
  
"Yeah, so why don't you wait in there and I'll go see if I can find him and tell him you're here."  
  
"Ok, that way I can make sure I look good when he gets here," Stephanie said walking into the room, and sitting herself down on the couch. Trish made sure that Stephanie was occupied looking at herself in a compact before shutting the door and walking away.  
  
"Now, to find Jericho," she muttered to herself.  
  
Trish was walking down the corridor where the wrestler's locker rooms actually were, and much to her luck, Jericho was walking towards her. This was too easy. She walked up to Jericho and gave him a grin.  
  
"Hey Chris," Trish said brightly.  
  
"Hey Trish," he smiled back at her.  
  
"I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor?"  
  
"Depends on what the favor is," he said winking at her. Trish laughed.  
  
"Not that kind of favor," she giggled, "Jeff would kill you if it were. No, I just need help with my luggage."  
  
"Why can't you ask Jeff, he is your boyfriend after all?"  
  
"Well, one, I can't find him, and two, someone told me he had a meeting with some of management. And I can't lift it myself, cause I took a pretty bad back bump the other night, and it's not a pully bag. So I'm in a rough spot. "  
  
"Well, in that case, lead the way," he said. Trish grinned at him, and started walking back to the room she knew Stephanie was waiting in.  
  
"I really appreciate this Chris."  
  
"Don't mention it."  
  
She walked up to the door, and stopped. Jericho stopped too.  
  
"It's in there," she said pointing to the door.  
  
"What's it doing in there?"  
  
"Well, I thought this was the side of the arena we were on, but then I found out it wasn't and stupid me had my driver drop it off here," Trish hoped she sounded at least somewhat believable. Jericho nodded and walked into the room.  
  
Trish closed the door quickly, and grabbed the handle pulling it towards her. Jeff, Lita, and Matt emerged from around the corner and came up to the door. Jeff took out a key and locked the door. Lita laughed as he locked it, wrapping her arm around Matt's waist and smiled at him. Matt couldn't help but smile as well. The plan had actually worked.  
  
"You did a great job Trish," Jeff said, leaning down to kiss her.  
  
"Thank you, but where did you get a key?"  
  
"Well, when you give the janitor a hundred dollars, you better get a key," Lita said, grinning.  
  
"So, what do you think will happen in there?" Trish asked as the four of them walked away.  
  
"Who knows?" Jeff answered.  
  
~Meanwhile~  
  
Jericho heard Trish slam the door, and he turned towards it quickly trying to open it. It would budge, and he started banging on it.  
  
"Trish, the door's stuck," he yelled, not even noticing there was someone else in the room.  
  
Stephanie had been in the small adjoining bathroom, making sure she looked all right for HHH, when she heard the door slam. She smiled warmly, and walked into the room, looking forward to seeing what HHH had gotten her. She was shocked to find Chris Jericho standing there banging on the door, while simultaneously trying to open it. Her eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"YOU!" she yelled. Jericho turned around and gasped. Stephanie was standing there, glaring at him.  
  
"AND YOU!" he yelled back. 


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5  
  
"What the hell are you doing in here?" Stephanie screamed at Jericho as she glared at him.  
  
"I came in here to help Trish with her luggage!" Jericho yelled back at her.  
  
"What! There's no luggage in here, now you have to get out!"  
  
"Well I would if the door would unlock," Jericho said gesturing towards the door.  
  
Stephanie walked over to him, and pushed him out of the way. He glared at her as she tried to pull the door open. She kept trying in vain, as Jericho stood back and watched her, laughing to himself. Her face was just getting redder as she tried harder.  
  
"I think it's stuck Princess," Jericho said laughing at her.  
  
"Shut up Jericho! I need to get out of here, Hunter is waiting for me!"  
  
"Well, I don't think you're doing a very good job trying to get it open."  
  
"Well, then why don't you help me!"  
  
"Actually I'm having a lot of fun just watching you trying to get it open," Jericho said chuckling. Stephanie stared daggers at him.  
  
"Come break down the door or something!"  
  
"Would you stop yelling for like two seconds please, my eardrums can't take your incessant screeching. Maybe if you ask nicely I'll help you."  
  
"Shut up!" she yelled even louder.  
  
"See, there you go again with the yelling."  
  
"Gah, would you just get over here please," Stephanie said in a sickly sweet voice.  
  
"Nah, I don't feel like hurting my shoulder trying to break down the door," he said smirking at her. Stephanie's scowled at him.  
  
"I am so going to have you KILLED when we get out of here, I'll send everyone after you, and they will DESTROY you, do you hear me? Destroy you!"  
  
"Seeing as how everyone hates you anyway Princess, I think you'll have some trouble finding people."  
  
"Fine, then I'll get Hunter to do it," she said smugly.  
  
"Yeah, seeing as how he's treated you lately, it'd probably be easier to get someone like the Rock to help you."  
  
"Hunter treats me fine, in fact he wanted to meet me here, and he was going to give me something really nice."  
  
"Don't you think he would be here already then?"  
  
"Well, he's obviously a little bit late, he'll come and get us out."  
  
Jericho started to think for a moment. It was all too convenient for him, Stephanie and himself being in the same room in the deserted part of the arena. And the door was mysteriously not working. It was all too put in place for it to be a coincidence. Something just wasn't right with the whole situation.  
  
"Stephanie, did Hunter ask you to meet him here?"  
  
"What's it to you whether he asked me or not? I don't think that is any of your business," she said turning away from him to go sit on the couch.  
  
"Would you just answer the question and stop being a bitch."  
  
"Why's it so important for you to know?"  
  
"Just answer," he snapped at her. This was torture being in here with her, and Jericho knew he was slowly going insane trying to converse with her.  
  
"Fine, geez," Stephanie muttered, "It was Trish, she told me Hunter wanted to meet me here."  
  
At the mention of Trish's name, it all became clear to Jericho. They had been set-up, and they were probably stuck here on purpose. He looked to Stephanie, who had a look of disinterest on her face. Obviously she hadn't figured it out yet, and somehow that didn't surprise him.  
  
"Stephanie, has it occurred to you what has actually happened here?"  
  
"What are you taking about?" Stephanie said rolling her eyes.  
  
"Trish told you to come in here right?"  
  
"Yeah, you're point?"  
  
"Remember when I told you who asked me to get their luggage?" He asked giving her a pointed look. Stephanie stared blankly at him for a second, before comprehension finally became evident in her eyes.  
  
"Do you think us being locked in here could be a set-up?"  
  
"Wow, that just might be crazy enough to be it," Jericho said sarcastically. Stephanie sneered at him.  
  
"But why?"  
  
"How the hell am I supposed to know?"  
  
"Did you do this Jericho?" She looked suspiciously at him.  
  
"WHAT!?!" He asked incredulously. She couldn't seriously think that he would WANT to be stuck with her.  
  
"Were you in on this, I know you want me but this is ridiculous."  
  
"Oh for the love of God, Princess, why in God's name would I want to be stuck with you?"  
  
"I don't know why don't you tell me?" she said, the suspicious look still on her face.  
  
"Stephanie, I was not a part of this. Hell, maybe Hunter was a part of this, probably wanted you out of his hair for a while."  
  
"HOW DARE YOU!" Stephanie screamed at him.  
  
Stephanie rushed Jericho, and started trying to beat on him, hitting whatever she could. Jericho looked surprised for a moment, not believing Stephanie was actually retaliating. Once he gained his bearings, he grabbed her hands, trying to stop her pathetic assault.  
  
"Let go of me!" She yelled, trying to get out of his grasp.  
  
"Stop hitting me then!"  
  
"Let go!"  
  
She tried to pull away, but it only served to throw her off balance. She started to fall backwards onto the couch and she grasped to Jericho to try to retain her equilibrium. She grabbed his shirt, but continued to fall. And Jericho was falling with her.  
  
Stephanie fell onto the couch, and had only managed to catch her breath, when Jericho landed on top of her. They were both dazed for a moment. Stephanie opened her eyes, and was surprised to be looking straight into Jericho's beautiful blue eyes. She was mesmerized.  
  
************  
  
"What do you think they're doing?" Jeff asked his three companions.  
  
"I don't know, making out maybe," Lita said laughing.  
  
"Either that or killing each other," Matt gave his two cents. Lita gave him a dirty look.  
  
"Why must you always be so negative?"  
  
"Just telling the truth."  
  
"Well shut up," Jeff said laughing.  
  
"I would love to be a fly on that wall," Trish said giggling.  
  
"Me too," Jeff and Lita said at the same time. They all laughed, and wondered just what was going on in that room. 


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6  
  
Stephanie looked into Jericho's beautiful blues eyes, and she was mesmerized. She could feel his soft breath on her face, and she could feel his blonde hair caressing her face as it fell around her. She could feel herself leaning in, and leaning in, and...  
  
She pushed him violently away from her, and he fell onto the ground with a thud. She shook in disgust at the way she had just felt with having Jericho so close to her. She sat up and dusted invisible dust off of herself, looking in disgust at Jericho who was picking himself off the floor.  
  
"Next time watch where you fall," she said snidely.  
  
"Next time, why don't you watch who you grab," Jericho retaliated.  
  
"I can't help it if you're a clumsy oaf."  
  
"Me, clumsy? I wasn't the one who fell first was I? You grabbed me."  
  
"Shove it Jericho!"  
  
"And why the hell did you push me?"  
  
"You were on top of me, it's a knee jerk reaction to push someone off."  
  
"Oh, cause I was under the impression that you were underneath guys all the time."  
  
"Shut up! You don't know me."  
  
"Thank God for that," he muttered.  
  
"What was that?" she asked.  
  
"None of your business."  
  
"So why the hell are we locked in here anyways?" she questioned him.  
  
"Why do you think I have all the answers? I'm just as clueless as you are. I don't know why we're here."  
  
"I just want to get out of here," Stephanie said, miserably, "I hate being in here with YOU."  
  
"Well, it's no walk in the park for me either Princess."  
  
"Don't call me that," she said annoyed.  
  
"Fine, I'm just going to go sit on the other side of the room."  
  
Jericho went over to a table situated on the other side of the room and sat on one of the folding chairs that were scattered around it. He had a view of Stephanie's back from where he was sitting, and was grateful he couldn't see her face.  
  
He hadn't known what had come over him when he had landed on Stephanie. She had looked so beautiful and vulnerable, and Chris had never seen any of those things in her before. It was almost a shock to his senses to see her in what he guessed was her natural state.  
  
"I hope Hunter doesn't get worried about me," Stephanie said out loud, and Jericho didn't know if she was talking to him or not.  
  
"I'm sure he's keeping himself busy," Jericho said.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Stephanie asked, turning towards him.  
  
"It means whatever you want it to mean."  
  
"Hunter loves me, I'm sure he's looking for me right now."  
  
~Meanwhile~  
  
"Have you seen Stephanie?"  
  
"No, I haven't," Stacy said.  
  
"Well, want to help me look for her?" HHH asked.  
  
"Sure, where should we look?"  
  
"How about my private dressing room?"  
  
"That seems like a good place to start," Stacy answered.  
  
They walked back to the dressing room, and HHH held the door open for her. She walked in throwing him a glance as she brushed past him. He walked in after her and as soon as the door closed, she was all over him as they made out against the door.  
  
~Getting back to Jericho and Stephanie~  
  
"I wouldn't bet on it."  
  
"I don't need your opinion thanks."  
  
"I'm sure he can find better company then you elsewhere, he could find better company in the city dump," Jericho said, then immediately wanted to take it back.  
  
Stephanie looked at him, her mouth gaping as she heard Jericho say that. That had been low even for him. She immediately felt tears prick her eyes, and turned away from him, not wanting to see how he had affected her with his harsh words.  
  
"Hey, Stephanie, I'm really sorry," Jericho said sincerely.  
  
Stephanie didn't answer him, or even look at him. He could see her sobbing silently, trying desperately not to let on she was crying. She didn't want Jericho to see her cry, anybody but Jericho. Jericho got up and went over to the couch, sitting next to Stephanie.  
  
"Seriously Stephanie, I really didn't mean to say that."  
  
"Then why did you?" she managed to say.  
  
"Instinct, I suppose."  
  
"That's really horrible when your instinct is to insult me so badly."  
  
"Isn't yours?"  
  
"Touché," she said blandly.  
  
"I'm really sorry."  
  
"That's ok, I'm used to your scathing remarks."  
  
"But I didn't want to make you cry. I'm usually a nice person."  
  
"Ha, I have yet to see that directed at me."  
  
"Well, maybe if you were a little nicer to me, then I would be a little bit nicer to you."  
  
"Are we having a conversation that doesn't involve us ripping each other's heads off?" she asked.  
  
"I think we are."  
  
"I like it."  
  
"I think I do too." 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the feedback, it's been invaluable. I hope my transitions are a little easier to read now. :)  
  
~  
  
Part 7  
  
"So I guess we're going to be stuck in here until either Trish and whoever she's working with decide to let us out, or by some act of nature, someone finds us here," Jericho said.  
  
"I'm thinking the former."  
  
"We're really gullible you know, I mean, we never should have listened to Trish."  
  
"Yeah, you're right," Stephanie said, actually cracking a smile.  
  
"But I guess you're so into Hunter that you thought it was true, and I'm such a nice guy, I have to help a girl in need."  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"What? No back handed comment? No veiled insult? I'm shocked."  
  
"Eh, either you're growing on me Jericho, or I'm just too upset about the whole situation to react."  
  
"I'm hoping it's the first option."  
  
"And why would that be?"  
  
"Because I'm finding myself actually liking you," Jericho said grinning impishly at her.  
  
"Really?" Stephanie asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah, don't look so shocked. I guess now would be a good time for a confession huh?"  
  
"Confession? What do you have to confess?"  
  
"I've never really, truly hated you Stephanie."  
  
"Are you sure? Because I was under the impression that you hated my guts, that you didn't even want to breathe the same air as I did."  
  
"That was just to get back at you, you started all our fights."  
  
"I did not," she protested.  
  
"Did too," he countered.  
  
"I did not!"  
  
"Who just started this argument?" he said, knowingly.  
  
"Shut up!" she said laughing.  
  
"Ah, see I got you to actually laugh, you can't really hate this situation if you're laughing."  
  
"I guess you've got a point," Stephanie gave in, "So if you never hated me, why did you insult me all the time?"  
  
"There's someone I do hate Stephanie, but it's not you, I hate your husband."  
  
"Hunter?" Stephanie asked incredulously.  
  
"Stephanie, I don't think you see what kind of guy you married. He's not a good guy."  
  
"Of course he is, you just don't know him like I do," Stephanie tried to explain.  
  
"Stephanie, I don't mean to hurt your feelings with this statement, but, "Love is blind." And you are blind to anything bad that Hunter does."  
  
"I know he does bad things, but that doesn't mean that he isn't a good person!"  
  
"And planning to run over Austin, or hitting people with sledgehammers, or planning set-up after set-up after set-up, that's just him being a good person?"  
  
"I don't think you understand. Hunter likes to be on top, and he'll get there by any means necessary."  
  
"But the way he goes about it Stephanie, how can you justify that?"  
  
"I don't know, but he has a reason for what he does, it may not be the best reason, but at least he has a reason. Besides, I've been known to be exactly like Hunter."  
  
"See, now I know that's a big lie."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Stephanie, after talking with you for the past twenty minutes, I've found that you are NOTHING like your husband. You have feelings and you think about things, and you aren't a bad person. Sure you can be a bad person when you want to be, but that's not who you are. I think you're still the girl you were when you first debuted. Slutty clothes and whorish make-up isn't going to change that."  
  
"Or maybe you've got me all wrong Chris, maybe I am as bad as I make myself out to be. Maybe the good girl was just an act."  
  
"If the good girl was an act, why did you start crying when I insulted you? If you were really the bitch you make yourself out to be, you probably would have ripped me a new one."  
  
"You're right. Maybe I should stop trying to be something I'm not...but I don't know if Hunter would love me anymore."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because he likes me when I'm conniving and manipulative. He likes me in short skirts and low-cut tops."  
  
"Stephanie, I'm not a marriage specialist by no means, and I'm not trying to insult your marriage, but how can you think that HHH loves you if all he does is try to change you?"  
  
Stephanie was at a loss for words. Jericho was right, what if Hunter didn't love her at all, but only loved the person he was trying to make her? She had to admit that she didn't like a lot of the stuff that he made her do, and looking back, he never treated her all that well. Sure he tried, but in the end, he really couldn't care less either way.  
  
But she still loved him. She loved him, and that meant making the other person happy, maybe that's why she changed because she was trying to make him happy. That had to be it, she knew it had to be.  
  
"I don't change for him because he tells me to Chris, I change because in a marriage you're supposed to try to make the other person happy. I take my vows seriously, and I'm trying to make him happy," Stephanie said definitively.  
  
"How does he make you happy Stephanie, how does he change for you to make you happy?"  
  
"He doesn't have to change, I love him just the way he is."  
  
"Then what does he do for you that makes you happy?"  
  
"Well, remember our anniversary, he tried to make it a romantic evening."  
  
"That's all. He doesn't do stuff on a daily basis. I knew that if I had a person I loved as much as you claim HHH loves you that I would treat her like a Queen."  
  
"Well, I don't need all that stuff," Stephanie said, trying to convince herself of that. Why did Jericho have to throw her all these hard questions that she couldn't answer?  
  
"And that's why you were rushing in here to see what HHH could have possibly done for you?"  
  
"Chris, have you ever been in love?" Stephanie asked, turning the questions to him.  
  
"Can't say that I have," he answered.  
  
"Then how can you presume to know what love is like?"  
  
"I'm not presuming anything Stephanie, for all I know, HHH worships the ground you walk on, but it doesn't seem to me like he does. I just want to understand how you can love him like you do."  
  
"Because I'm his wife."  
  
"Stephanie, the man drugged you and then married you, how can you possibly love a guy like that?"  
  
"He has a lot of redeeming qualities."  
  
"Like?"  
  
"Like...I don't know! Ok, Chris, I don't know why I love him, but I do!" Stephanie exclaimed loudly, "I just do."  
  
She went over to the other side of the room and sat down heavily on the folding chair that Chris had previously occupied. She had tired of this conversation, and wanted to go back to being silent, it was easier that way. For her and her marriage. Chris was starting to make her think crazy thoughts.  
  
"Stephanie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset, really."  
  
"It's ok," Stephanie told him.  
  
"I'm sure that HHH does love you, and I'm sure he's worrying about you right now."  
  
"Don't lie Chris, you probably think he's out there cheating on me as we speak."  
  
~MEANWHILE~  
  
"Mmm, you have such a pretty mouth," Hunter whispered.  
  
"We never did go looking for Stephanie."  
  
"Who cares, I'm sure she can fend for herself."  
  
"You sure, she seems to cling to you like ivy."  
  
"What can I say, the bitch has it bad for me."  
  
~BACK TO JERICHO AND STEPHANIE~  
  
"I don't think that," he said.  
  
"Sure you do."  
  
"I wouldn't wish that on anybody, for your sake, I hope he isn't having an affair."  
  
"For my sake? Since when did you care so much Chris?"  
  
"I think it was around the time you started calling me Chris instead of Jericho," he said smiling at her. She returned his smile, though tentatively.  
  
"I hadn't even noticed."  
  
"I'd like to consider you a friend now Stephanie, outside of this room, if that's ok with you?"  
  
"It's ok, a girl like me can use all the friends she can get."  
  
"I'm telling you, dump the husband, and friends will be flocking towards you."  
  
"Very funny Chris, very funny." 


	8. Chapter 8

"So what do you think is happening in that room?" Lita said absently.  
  
"They're probably going at it," Jeff said.  
  
"What kind of going at it?" Trish asked mischievously.  
  
"With our luck, the killing each other kind of going at it," Matt interjected.  
  
"Why must you be so negative?" Lita said, sitting on his lap.  
  
"Because I think you three are crazy for sticking those two in a room together."  
  
"Aww, let us have our fun Matt."  
  
"Yeah, but this is Jericho and Stephanie we're talking about, they hate each other with a passion."  
  
"Or maybe they don't, maybe it's all just a front."  
  
"That's what I'm thinking," Jeff said.  
  
"So should we go get them?" Trish asked.  
  
"How much time do we have before the show starts?" Lita asked Jeff, who had a cell phone in his hand.  
  
"Two hours."  
  
"We'll go get them in a half an hour."  
  
"Go get their bodies you mean," Matt said.  
  
"Shut up Matt," the other three told him, then laughed.  
  
**************  
  
"We are never going to get out of this room," Stephanie said.  
  
"Stephanie, if you keep thinking about it then it just makes it seem longer."  
  
"But the show is going to be starting, we need to get out of here."  
  
Jericho looked at his watch, "It's not starting for like another two hours."  
  
"Why would they stick us in here?"  
  
"Probably to get us to cooperate, which worked," Jericho said, smiling.  
  
"To a certain extent," she said, smiling back.  
  
"So am I going to have to be nice to you when we get out of here?"  
  
"Well, if I'm going to be nice to you than it would be nice you were nice to me."  
  
"I guess it's a deal then. We just don't talk about your husband and we should be ok."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Chris, can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"You really didn't mean any of those things that you said to me?"  
  
"No, not really. I just knew how to get you, and it was funny seeing your husband get all angry. Did you know that his nostrils tend to flare when he gets angry?"  
  
"Of course, I make him get angry at me all the time."  
  
"And you, your eyes blaze when you get angry. Makes you look more beautiful," Jericho said, not really aware of what he just said.  
  
"Did you just say I was beautiful?" Stephanie asked, surprised.  
  
"Steph, you know that you are beautiful. Me saying it doesn't change that fact."  
  
"It's just nice to hear."  
  
"Doesn't HHH say it to you?"  
  
Stephanie ducked her head, "No not so much."  
  
"Well, that's not cool."  
  
"It's fine, he loves me, I know it."  
  
"Ok, we'll just drop the subject."  
  
"Thank you. Chris, I never meant any of the mean things I said about you, and I didn't like it when Hunter hurt you."  
  
"I know." ***************  
  
"Let's go get them," Lita told the others.  
  
"Ok, should we bring riot gear?" Jeff asked.  
  
"No, I think we'll be ok."  
  
"I hope they're not too angry," Trish told them.  
  
"They'll probably want our heads," Matt said.  
  
Lita wrapped her arms around his waist, "You are such a downer."  
  
"I prefer the term realist."  
  
"Whatever," Jeff told him, "We're gonna be right, and you're gonna be wrong."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
They walked down the hallway together, each of them thinking about what they would find on the other side of the door. They hoped it wouldn't be too bad. And all of them, minus Matt, hoped to find them making out, or more. Before they knew it, they were standing in front of the door.  
  
"Well, it's now or never," Jeff said.  
  
"I'm kind of nervous," Trish told him, "I mean, what if it's bad, what if it's really, really bad."  
  
"Well, it can't be any worse than how they usually are," Lita told her.  
  
"Well, sure it can," Trish answered, "They could want to kill us plus each other."  
  
"That's the scenario I think we'll get," Matt added.  
  
"Well, we're just going to have to open the door and find out," Jeff said.  
  
"Yeah," Lita and Trish said in unison.  
  
"Well, which one of you guys is going to open it?" Matt asked.  
  
"I guess I will," Lita said, "Jeff, the key please."  
  
Jeff took the key out of his pocket, and made a big show of handing it over to Lita. Lita smiled and held up the key. She walked over to the door, and stood in front of it for a moment. She took a deep breath and looked at the other three. Then she turned back to the door and put the key into the keyhole, and paused.  
  
"Well, here goes nothing."  
  
And she unlocked the door. 


	9. Chapter 9

Lita opened the door, and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, in silent prayer. She hoped that what she found would be good, and not a potential crime scene. She opened her eyes, and looked inside.  
  
She was surprised, pleasantly, to find Jericho and Stephanie inside laughing at each other. And not the mocking laughs they usually used around each other, but an honest to goodness, friendly laugh. Man, just what had gone on in this room?  
  
Jericho and Stephanie heard Lita clear her throat and they looked up at her from their places on the couch. They both unconsciously sighed as they realized they'd finally be free from their make-shift prison.  
  
"Well, it's about time you came and got us," Jericho said.  
  
"Well, we were waiting," Lita said, still a little shocked.  
  
On the outside of the door, Trish, Jeff, and Matt were anxiously awaiting to see any kind of positive or negative reaction. After seeing Lita's expression they were all impatient to see what was going on in there. They came to the door and stood behind Lita.  
  
"Oh, so these are your cohorts," Stephanie said, glancing over Lita's shoulder.  
  
"Um, yeah," Lita said.  
  
"So, what was the purpose in this whole little scheme?" Jericho asked.  
  
"We just, um," Lita said, going blank.  
  
"Are you trying to tell us there was no scheme, and this just happened entirely by coincidence?" he said, as he and Stephanie laughed at them.  
  
"We wanted you two to quit your fighting," Matt answered.  
  
"YOU wanted them," Jeff answered, "I believe it was you who thought this whole plan was stupid in the first place.  
  
"Yeah," Lita said, finding her voice.  
  
"Well, I didn't say I didn't want them to stop fighting, I just said I didn't think it would happen."  
  
"And it worked," Lita said, proudly.  
  
"Hey, don't you think we should be the judges of that," Jericho said standing up from the couch.  
  
"Well, I don't see either one of you dead, I think it worked," Jeff said.  
  
"No, we didn't kill each other, though I'm sure at some point we both wanted to," Stephanie said, winking at Jericho, who smiled.  
  
"Was that a wink of commiseration I caught," Lita said, "What happened with you two? You have to tell us."  
  
"I don't think so," Jericho said.  
  
"Yeah, I think that will have to just stay between the two of us," Stephanie added.  
  
"You can't do that!" Jeff yelled.  
  
"Jeff, calm down sweetie," Trish said, putting a hand on his arm, "Even though we really, really want to know."  
  
"You guys, when you stuck us in here, did you even realize that Stephanie is, oh I don't know, um married?"  
  
"Well, you know, the divorce rate is high these days," Lita said, rubbing the back of her neck, embarrassed.  
  
"See, I told you it wouldn't work," Matt said, superiorly.  
  
"What did you want to happen in here?" Jericho asked.  
  
"Um...well, you see," Lita stammered.  
  
"We wanted to see some nakedness," Jeff said laughing. Trish hit him in the arm.  
  
"Jeff!" she hissed.  
  
"What, that's what we were hoping," he shrugged.  
  
"You guys are weird. Now if you don't mind I gotta show to go to," Jericho said, standing up.  
  
"Me too." Jericho held his hand out towards Stephanie, and helped her up off the couch.  
  
"So are you two like friends now?" Jeff asked.  
  
Jericho and Stephanie looked at each other, then answered in unison, "Yeah."  
  
"Well, at least we partly succeeded, we don't have to see these two fighting til the death every other day."  
  
"Well, who said we would stop fighting, it's what makes this fun," Jericho said.  
  
"Besides, I'm sure Chris will annoy me sometimes."  
  
"It's my job," Jericho said, impishly.  
  
Jericho and Stephanie walked out together, and left the four others standing in the room. They hadn't succeeded per se, but they were still stunned by the outcome. Just like that and they were friends. What the hell HAD happened in here? They weren't sure if they wanted to know.  
  
"I think we kind of shocked them, back there," Stephanie said as Jericho walked her to her dressing room.  
  
"Yeah, that's what was so fun."  
  
"I'm sure everyone is going to have to get used to this new friendship."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure everyone will get over the shock after a little while."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"I'm kinda, sorta glad I got locked in there with you," she said awkwardly.  
  
"Me too, if we're being honest. I knew you were a good person, I'm just glad that I got to see that part of you."  
  
"Yeah, I'm glad that I found out you don't really hate me."  
  
"Well, here we are," he said outside of Stephanie's locker room.  
  
"You didn't have to walk me to my dressing room."  
  
"Well, that's what friends do."  
  
"Ok," she laughed, "I'll see you later."  
  
"Of course you will, I'm always around."  
  
"Bye Chris," she said as he started to walk away.  
  
"Bye Steph."  
  
Stephanie smiled to herself, and then walked into the dressing room. She had to admit, Jericho was a lot nicer than she ever thought possible. She never thought he could ever be anything but mean to her. She saw Hunter sitting on the couch, reading a magazine.  
  
"Where have you been?" Hunter asked.  
  
"I was locked in a room," Stephanie explained.  
  
"I was looking everywhere," he said, distracted by whatever he was reading.  
  
"I just said Hunter, I was locked in a room."  
  
"Oh, that's too bad," he said indifferently.  
  
"Yeah, I was with Chris Jericho, we got locked into a room," she said, hoping to elicit any type of reaction from him.  
  
"Oh, Jericho huh, didn't rip each other's heads off?"  
  
"No," she sighed, "We didn't."  
  
"Good."  
  
Hunter went back to his magazine, not even sparing her a glance. Stephanie sat down in one of the chairs, and looked at him. He hadn't even been worried about her. He hadn't even cared that she was locked up with his worst enemy. She stared at him for a while, before getting ready for the show.  
  
She was starting to feel like Jericho was right. 


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey Stephanie, do you mind if you get another ride tonight," Hunter said, walking into their dressing room.

Stephanie looked up from the magazine that she was reading. She looked at him confused for a moment. Why would she need another ride? She and Hunter always traveled together.

"Why?"

"Oh, I just wanted to go out with some of the guys," he said, "I know that you don't like some of my friends, so I didn't want to drag you with me."

Stephanie stood up and kissed him on the cheek, "That's so sweet of you to think of me."

He smirked, "I know, I always think of you baby."

"You go out and have fun, I'm sure that I'll find some way to get back to the arena."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, someone has to take pity on the Billion Dollar Princess right?"

He laughed, "Of course. I'll be back in a little while ok?"

"Ok," she kissed him, "I'm gonna go find me a ride."

"Good, I don't want you to be stranded."

Stephanie dropped her magazine on the table and left the room. Her first thought, ironically, was to go ask Chris Jericho. Over the past few weeks, the two of them had become such great friends. It was actually kind of weird, they were so much alike. She couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed it sooner.

She walked down the corridor and to his locker room. She walked in without knocking, like she usually did. Jericho had told her once that it was polite to knock, that he could be naked in there or something. She had told him she'd take her chances.

Jericho looked up from tying his boots, "Hey Steph."

"Hey Chris. Not naked I see."

"No, you're just not lucky enough to see me sans clothes," he winked.

"Actually, I think I'm lucky that I haven't seen you naked," she countered.

"Difference of opinions, so what's up?"

"I was wondering if you were doing anything after the show."

"Are you asking me out on a date Stephanie? I'm surprised, here I thought you loved our dear Mr. Helmsley," he joked.

"I'm not asking you out idiot," she flashed her wedding ring, "Still married, see?"

"I'm blinded by that rock," he said covering his eyes.

"You should be, this cost quite the pretty penny."

"I'd imagine. I'm not doing anything after the show, why?"

"Well, Hunter is going out with some of his friends, and since I don't like his friends, he asked if I could get a ride with someone."

"Geez, if he's the one throwing you out in the cold, you'd think he'd actually be the one to find you a ride."

"Drop it Chris," Stephanie warned. They tended to argue about Hunter all the time. It was their one point of contention.

"Fine, fine. You never let me have any fun at his expense."

"You're talking about the man I love, of course I'm not going to let you make fun of him. So come on, can I have a ride?" she pouted.

"Of course you can. Did you want to go out and grab something to eat first?"

"Now who's asking who out on a date?"

"Not a date, just two hungry people going out for some food."

"Ok, that sounds good, I'll see you after your match then?"

"Yeah, I'll wait for you here."

"Great, bye Chris."

"Bye Steph."

IN ANOTHER LOCKER ROOM

"So we can spend a few quality hours together?" Stacy said as Hunter kissed her neck.

"Yeah, I'll meet you in your hotel room, then we can have fun."

"Great," she whispered.

"I'll see you in a while then."

"Bye baby."

"Bye sexy."

Stephanie walked to her dressing room and passed Stacy's locker room. Hunter slipped out of the room unnoticed to her and ran up to Stephanie.

"Hey babe," he said, wrapping his arm around her.

"Hunter, hi," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Did you find a ride?"

"Yeah, I'm going with Chris Jericho. We're going to go catch something to eat first, then probably hang out. Is that ok with you?"

"Yeah, it's cool, so you'll be gone for a few hours?"

"Yeah, that's ok right?"

"Great," Hunter said, thinking for a second.

"Ok."

"Babe, I'll be right back ok? I gotta talk with someone about my match."

"Ok," she said, kissing him again.

Hunter walked her to their locker room, then ran back out. He made his way stealthily to Stacy's locker room. He slipped inside. Stacy turned around, surprised to see him so soon.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, but we can meet in my room."

"But what about your little wifey?"

"She'll be out with Jericho."

"Wait, are those two?"

"No way, but they'll be out, we can meet in my room."

"Ok, sounds good," she told him.

"Til later then."

Stephanie kissed Hunter goodbye, then walked down to Jericho's dressing room. She walked inside with her bags and found him packing some of his stuff. He looked up and nodded his head in hello before going back to his things.

"Almost ready?"

"Yup," he said.

"Good."

"Bossy aren't we?"

"I'm hungry."

Jericho put the last of his things away, "Well then Princess, let's go."

"Great, I'm starving."

They went out to his rental car and drove into the city they were in. They found a bar & grill type restaurant that was open and stopped there. They went inside and were seated immediately.

Meanwhile, Stacy and Hunter had just met in his hotel room, and were having a little liaison of their own.

"You know, it's kind of weird being out with you," Stephanie said as they were eating.

"How so?"

"You're a lot different than I thought you were. I had you pegged for this arrogant asshole, but you're really not."

"Well, thanks, I guess."

"No, it's good, I promise. You're a good person."

"Well, I know that."

"Still arrogant though."

"Well, I can't be completely different from how you pictured me right?"

"I guess not."

"You're a good person too Steph."

"You're just saying that because I said you were," she told him.

"Even if I was, it's the truth. You just have one flaw."

"Shut up," she said, already knowing what he was thinking.

"I didn't say anything," he laughed.

"Yeah, but I know what you're thinking."

"That's never good."

"Whatever Jericho."

They finished their food and the check came, which Jericho insisted on paying, though he did get a fight out of Stephanie. They walked back to his car, and made their way to the hotel. Jericho walked Stephanie up to her and Hunter's room.

"Thanks for dinner Chris, even though I wanted to help out with the check."

"What kind of guy would I be if I didn't pay?"

"It doesn't matter, you didn't have to pay."

"I wanted to, it's what friends do."

"Fine. I wonder if Hunter's back," she thought aloud.

"How should I know?"

"I was just saying, I wasn't asking you."

"Ok."

"Do you wanna come in for a while? I have a mini-bar."

"Are you trying to get me liquored up so you can have your way with me?"

"Oh my, you caught me, I just want to molest you Jericho."

"That's what I thought," he laughed, "I can come in for a little while."

"Great."

She took out her keycard and opened the door. Suddenly she hear questionable sounds coming from the bedroom. She looked to Jericho to see if he could hear them as well. He looked at her in confusion, cementing the fact that she wasn't just hearing things.

"What is that?" she whispered to him.

"I don't know, it sounds like two people having sex."

"But why are we hearing that?"

"How the hell should I know?"

They walked into the bedroom and Stephanie's eyes widened as she saw the two figures in bed, obviously in the middle of something. Jericho's jaw dropped and looked to Stephanie who looked stricken as she realized who it was. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched.

"What the hell is this?"


	11. Chapter 11

Stephanie couldn't believe her eyes. Her husband was in bed with another woman. And not just any woman, Stacy Keibler. She'd never really held anything against the leggy blonde, but standing here right now, she wanted to rip her hair out by the roots.

Jericho didn't know what to do. This was an awkward situation if he ever saw one. He resisted the urge to kill Hunter right then. He looked over to Stephanie and she looked absolutely stricken, but he could see that glint of anger in her, and he knew that she would soon be taking control of the situation.

"Well, Hunter, care to explain to me why you're in bed with that skank?"

"Hey!" Stacy said indignantly.

"Shut up whore," Stephanie spat out.

Hunter got out of bed quickly and slipped some boxers on. Stephanie went over and slapped the hell out of him, causing him to fall back against the bed in surprise. He rubbed his cheek gently.

"You, you asshole, I stick by you through everything, and this is what you do! You go and sleep with this little tramp behind my back! How could you?"

"Stephanie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

"You didn't meant to? You're in bed naked with her, and you didn't mean to, that's the biggest pile of bull I've ever heard in my life!"

"But it's the truth, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? I don't care if you're sorry or not."

Stephanie was fuming, and she probably had steam coming out of her ears, she was so mad. She started pacing the room, contemplating her next move. She wanted to just fight Hunter right then and there, but she had to retain some sense of calm.

"Stephanie," Chris whispered.

She looked over at him, "What?"

"Why don't we go?" he told her.

"Go? Go where?" she asked confused.

"We'll go back to my room, so you can sort out your head."

She nodded, "Yeah, sort out my head."

"Ok, why don't you get your things," Chris said, ignoring the other two people in the room.

"Stephanie, you're going off with him?"

"Yes I am, though that's none of your business," she said testily.

"None of my business? I'm your husband."

"I think you forfeited any right to being my husband the minute you decided to sleep with her."

"Come on Steph, let's just go," Chris said.

"Ok."

Chris came over and picked up Stephanie's bag so she wouldn't have to carry it. He took her hand with his free one and together they walked out of the hotel room, without giving a second glance to Hunter or Stacy.

They walked to Chris's hotel room and he opened the door for her. She walked inside and collapsed on the couch. Chris set her bag down, and went to sit next to her. They sat silently for a few minutes before Stephanie broke into tears. Chris sighed and took Stephanie into his arms, letting her cry against him.

"Why Chris?"

"I don't know Steph, I just don't know."

"Was I a bad wife?" she sobbed.

"You? Steph, after talking to you about Hunter I knew you couldn't be a bad wife."

"Then why would he do something like this?"

"Because he's an asshole, he takes you for granted."

"You were right all along, I should have listened to you."

"I was hoping I was wrong Steph, for you sake, I was hoping I was wrong."

"What am I gonna do now?"

"You're going to stay here with me is what you're going to do."

"I don't want to impose on you," Stephanie said, pulling away and wiping her eyes.

"Stephanie, you're not going to be alone ok? I'm going to stay with you. It's what friends do."

"Thank you."

"You can sleep in my bed tonight, and I'll sleep on the couch."

"See, I'm putting you out."

"Because I'm sleeping on the couch? It's not a problem, I don't care."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Now why don't you take a bath or something, I hear those always make you feel better or something."

"It might, thanks."

"There's some towels and girly stuff in there already," he said.

She laughed softly, "Ok. I won't be long."

"Take your time. I'm just gonna go down to the Hardy's rooms and give you some privacy ok?"

"Ok, you'll come back though, won't you?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Of course I will," he said, kissing her forehead tentatively.

"Thank you," she sniffled, before going into the bathroom.

Jericho walked out of the room, and down the two flights to the Hardy's rooms. They usually had adjoining rooms so he could knock on either one and they'd be there. He knocked on one of the doors and Trish answered.

"Hey Chris, what are you doing here?"

"I'm giving Stephanie some privacy," he said, walking into the room.

"What's Steph doing in your room?" she asked, walking beside him.

"Long story," he told her, plopping down on one of the beds.

"Hey Chris," Matt said.

"Why do you look so down?" Lita said.

"Hunter's been cheating on Stephanie."

"WHAT?" they all cried, surprised.

"Yeah, I walked her to her room tonight, and we walk in and we caught Hunter in bed with, get this, Stacy Keibler."

"Oh my God," Trish gasped, "What a slut."

"How's Stephanie?" Jeff asked.

"She's as good as anyone who just caught their husband having sex someone else. She's devastated. She's upstairs taking a bath."

"So she's staying in your room tonight?" Matt said.

"Yeah, she didn't have anywhere else to go."

"That's nice of you," Trish said.

"I just felt so bad. You should've seen her face, it was awful."

"I bet," Lita said.

"I knew Hunter was a slime, but he stooped too low," Trish said, "I hope that Stephanie divorces his sorry ass."

"Yeah, me too," Jericho said, "Better pass me one of those beers."

They all sat talking for a while before Jericho decided that it was safe to go back upstairs. He said his goodbyes to the foursome and walked slowly back up to his room. He wanted to make sure that Stephanie had all the alone time she needed. He got back up to his room and walked inside.

"Steph," he called out quietly.

"Hey Chris," she said, walking into the room in a comfy looking robe.

"Hey, how you doing?" he asked supportively.

"I'm doing ok, I guess," she said sadly.

"Do you just want to go to bed?"

"Yeah, I think I'm just going to turn in for the night, if that's ok with you?"

"Of course it's ok with me. I'll just grab the extra pillow and blanket from the closet and I'll be on my way to the couch," he smiled.

"Ok," Stephanie said.

She grabbed some pajamas from her suitcase and walked in the bathroom to change. Jericho walked over to the closet and grabbed a pillow and a blanket. Luckily the couch was a fold-out, so it shouldn't be too uncomfortable. He walked back to the couch and made it into the bed and lay down.

He looked up at the ceiling, hearing Stephanie come back out into the room and lie down. He was starting to doze off when he could hear her crying. Sighing to himself, Jericho got up and walked into the bedroom.

"Steph, are you ok?"

She just kept crying.

"Stephanie, what can I do to help?" he asked.

"Can you just lie here with me?" she asked quietly.

"Not a problem," he answered.

Jericho made his way to the bed and got underneath the covers. Stephanie moved herself over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He rubbed her back comfortingly. She looked up at him and he looked at her. Then suddenly her lips were on his. Jericho froze, not knowing what was going on. He pulled away slightly.

"Stephanie? What are you doing?"

"I don't know, but it feels right," she said, leaning in closer to presumably kiss him again. He stopped her with a hand.

"Stephanie, this is just like them."

"Please Chris, I just need to forget, help me forget it all."

Jericho had a hard time stopping himself, Stephanie just looked so scared and vulnerable. Damning himself for doing this, he kissed her, and she kissed back. Pretty soon, things got heated, and both their consciences flew out the window as they christened the bed.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I got my first flame! Oh my, this is a momentous occasion!  
  
To the person who signed under the name "bullshit" here's a response to your review, since you left me no e-mail...  
  
In case you can't read, this story is rated PG-13, that means that I'm not including any details of them, as you put it, "fucking." Sorry, this isn't that kind of story. I'm sure you can find many a fic of Jericho and Stephanie having detailed sex. But thanks for giving me my first ever negative response. :)  
  
~  
  
Stephanie woke up the next morning, a sense of contentment coursing through her body. She snuggled up to the person she was laying on. She sighed and closed her eyes, wanting to get a little more sleep before she had to get up in the morning. She opened her eyes once again, and looked up at...Chris Jericho.  
  
Stephanie shot up from the bed, then looked down at the sleeping man. Memories of last night flooded her brain, every single detail of him and what they had done. Oh no, what had she done? How could she cheat on Hunter, she loved him?  
  
Then came the memories of what she had walked in on, with Hunter and Stacy. A lot of the guilt that she had been feeling fell away as she thought about how Hunter had betrayed her first, and how they were over as of last night, so that made it ok.  
  
Reassured of her intentions, and thinking to how she had been the one to suggest last night's activities, she laid back down on Jericho, and closed her eyes once more. This didn't feel too bad actually. She might even get used to this. After she got over Hunter of course.  
  
The two slept for another couple hours, before they could both hear a vacuum going off in another room. Jericho yawned and kept his eyes closed. He was still tired and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. But something was moving against him. He opened his eyes slowly and looked down. Stephanie had her chin resting on his chest and she was smiling up at him.  
  
Jericho remembered what had happened the previous night. He had to say he didn't regret one moment of it. And it looked like she didn't either. He had never really had romantic feelings for Stephanie, but last night had been pretty incredible.  
  
"Good morning," she said brightly.  
  
"Morning," he said tentatively.  
  
"Thank you for last night."  
  
"No, thank you," he joked.  
  
She laughed, "I hope this isn't too awkward, as many a morning after tend to be."  
  
"No, I'm not feeling all that awkward."  
  
"Good," she said, dropping a kiss to his chest.  
  
"Though I do wonder what this exactly makes us."  
  
"I'm not too sure," she giggled, "But I like it whatever it is."  
  
"So, how are you doing? About everything."  
  
Stephanie's face darkened a bit, "I'm ok, I guess. I just don't want to think about it."  
  
"Ok, that's fine."  
  
"Thank you Chris, for everything, last night and now and the past few weeks. I really have to thanks the Hardys, Lita, and Trish for locking us in that room."  
  
"I'm sure they're just happy that we're not fighting anymore."  
  
"Probably, I'm kind of hungry, can we go get breakfast?" she asked.  
  
"Sure Princess. We'll go downstairs to that little café in the lobby."  
  
"Ok."  
  
She leaned over the bed and grabbed one of Jericho's t-shirts that was lying on the floor. She slipped it on and then grabbed a pair of his shorts that were also on the ground, putting them on as well. Jericho watched her from the bed.  
  
"I hope you're not going out in my clothes," he smirked, "That might not be the best image to project."  
  
"No," she said, sticking her tongue out at him, "I just have to grab some clothes. I don't want to walk around naked."  
  
"Why not? I've seen everything there is to see," he said impishly.  
  
"Shut up," she said, grabbing some clothes from her suitcase and going into the bathroom.  
  
Jericho took the opportunity and walked over to his own suitcase. He quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He looked in the mirror and noticed his hair was a mess. Grabbing his brush, he combed it out and pulled it back into a loose ponytail.  
  
Stephanie came out of the bathroom, in a sleek pair of black pants and a nice button down blouse. She looked over at him, and walked over, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning up to kiss his cheek. He smiled at her through the mirror.  
  
"Ready?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, you?"  
  
"Yup, let's go," he said.  
  
Stephanie took his hand, which surprised him slightly. Were they going to hold hands all the way down to breakfast? What if someone saw them? Well, he thought, friends held hands too. They left the room and walked to the elevators still holding hands. While they were standing in the elevator, Stephanie stood very close to Jericho, so he wrapped an arm around her, which she seemed to not mind.  
  
They got off the elevator, and Stephanie stepped out before him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the elevator. Jericho laughed and let her drag him to the restaurant. They got seated and were looking at their menus when Hunter walked into the restaurant.  
  
Stephanie looked up and saw him looking at her. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she refused to acknowledge them. She was not going to let him know how much he had hurt her. He looked at her sadly, and she could plainly see the remorse in his face. She felt her heart breaking.  
  
Jericho looked up when he saw that Stephanie wasn't looking at her menu. She had the saddest look on her face and was gazing behind him. He turned to look behind him and saw Hunter looking back at Stephanie. He looked just as upset as she was. He turned back to Stephanie.  
  
"Steph, you ok?" he asked gently.  
  
She finally broke her look with Hunter, "No."  
  
"Do you want to go back upstairs, order room service?"  
  
"No, we can stay, I'll be fine," she said, trying to give him a smile.  
  
"You sure, I don't want you to be uncomfortable with him in here."  
  
She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, "I'll be fine, I promise."  
  
"Ok, just making sure."  
  
"You're too considerate."  
  
He took her hand that was still in his, and gave it a soft kiss, "Always."  
  
Hunter stood watching the two of them. Well, didn't they look nice and cozy? He truly regretted what he had done to Stephanie. While at first it was exciting and new, and he didn't care about what Stephanie thought, now he realized what he had given up. He loved Stephanie and now she was going to leave him. He just knew it. He went over and sat at a table by himself.  
  
After Stephanie and Jericho had left he had thrown Stacy out of the room, and told her that he didn't want to see her ever again. He realized it was too late to rectify the situation. But he wanted Stephanie back, and he would have to mend those fences.  
  
"So what are you ordering?" Jericho asked.  
  
"Something big and fattening," Stephanie said.  
  
Jericho chuckled, "Get whatever you want, I won't say anything. And it's my treat."  
  
"I can pay for myself you know."  
  
"I do know, I'm not gonna let you, but I know."  
  
"I'm thinking the tall stack of pancakes, with bacon and sausage, with a side of hash browns and toast."  
  
Jericho looked taken aback, "Wow, that's a lot of food."  
  
She grinned, "I know."  
  
The waiter came by and took their orders. As soon as he left, Jericho looked at Stephanie and smiled. She smiled back at him. He was being so nice to her, she had never felt more at ease with someone.  
  
"So where are you going to stay?" Jericho asked, "I assume you probably don't want to go back home."  
  
"Well, I never thought of that," she paused, "No, I don't want to go back home."  
  
"You can stay with me if you want. It's far from your house, so there's no chance you would run into Hunter."  
  
"I don't want to barge in on you and you'd get annoyed by me after a while."  
  
"Nah, I don't think so. It's fine, I have plenty of room. Besides, I'd like you to stay with me."  
  
"Chris, about last night, I hope you understand that I didn't--"  
  
"You don't have to explain gorgeous, I know what you're saying," he said smiling.  
  
"You do?" she asked genuinely concerned about how he had perceived last night.  
  
"Of course I do. You needed someone, and I was there. That's what last night was about."  
  
"Don't think that I didn't enjoy it."  
  
"I'm not doubting that for a second," he winked.  
  
She laughed and blushed slightly, "And I don't regret what I did. What we did."  
  
"Right back at ya."  
  
"And I mean, there were feelings involved, I wasn't just using you. I do care about you," she said, getting more embarrassed by the second.  
  
Jericho saw this and responded, "Steph, it's ok, I know you care about me, and I know that last night was probably just a one time thing. You know unless you want a repeat performance, which I wouldn't be against. But I know that you loved and probably still do love Hunter, and I wouldn't think that you would be able to get over him in one night. Now if what happened last night happens after you get over that cheater, then we'll talk relationship ok?"  
  
Stephanie smiled sincerely, "Ok, it's a deal."  
  
"Now, you going to stay with me?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll stay with you." 


	13. Chapter 13

"I probably should've seen it coming."

"What do you mean?"

"I should have known that he was sleeping with another woman," she said, taking some of the ice cream from his carton.

"How? How could you have known?"

"Well, he had been distant for the longest time. And he never cared where I would go, probably because he was thinking about how long he would have to get his jollies with that tramp. And we hadn't.........you know, in a couple months give or take."

"You know?"

Stephanie blushed, "You know what I mean Chris, the same thing that we did last week."

Jericho laughed, "Oh THAT, wow, so you hadn't?"

"No. I guess it was because he was getting his elsewhere."

"Well, I'm glad I could end your drought," he said, winking at her, then eating some more of his ice cream. She shook her head.

Stephanie had spent the past week with Jericho. She had to admit that he was very good at keeping her mind off her husband. And she was actually having a blast being around him. He made her so comfortable, and never pushed her to talk or anything she didn't want to do.

"I don't want to go back tomorrow," she said.

"You're gonna have to gorgeous, you can't hide forever."

Stephanie hated to admit it, but she liked when he called her gorgeous, "I know, and I've been gone a whole week, I think that's long enough to cool down."

"With a McMahon, hmm, I'm not sure."

"You're not helping," she giggled.

"Oh, well, excuse me, then yeah, it's more than enough time."

"I'm going to have to face him aren't I?"

"Yeah, you're going to have to. You know, ask for a divorce, tell him he's a cretin, all that good stuff."

"I should wear something really sexy to make him jealous," Stephanie said.

"Well, I wouldn't oppose to that."

"Get your mind out of the gutter," she said smiling at him.

"Aww, why?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "I'm going to go pack."

"Need help?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks again for getting my things."

"Not a problem, glad to do it."

Stephanie went upstairs and started gathering things that she wanted to bring with her to the shows that were coming up. She started to think about the confrontation that was inevitable between her and Hunter. She didn't know if she'd be able to take seeing him without breaking down. She sighed and continued packing.

"What's with the sigh?"

"Are you following me?" she asked, turning around to look at him leaning in the doorway.

"No," he laughed, "I was walking to my bedroom and saw you, now what's up gorgeous?"

"I really don't want to face him Chris," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know gorgeous, but you have to," he said, coming over to her and wrapping her in a huge hug. She buried her head into his shoulder.

"Pretend to be my boyfriend."

"What?" he asked, not hearing her muffled words.

She pulled away, "Pretend to be my boyfriend."

"Stephanie, that's not a good idea."

"Please Chris, I wouldn't normally ask you, but I can't go in there alone, I just can't. If I have you with me, then I'll be able to face him."

"Then say I'm your friend Steph, that'll work too you know."

"I just want to have the one up on him."

"By saying that you're with me?"

She looked up at him, "Yeah."

"Sorry gorgeous, I'm not going to do it. But I will be by your side if you need me to be there."

"I need you to be there."

He kissed the top of her head, "Then I will."

"Thank you Chris, you're so logical."

"I know."

"How come I never saw any of this before? How come I was so blind to how good a person you really were?"

"I think it had something to do with me calling you a filthy, dirty, disgusting, brutal, bottom-feeding trash bag ho," he said, smiling down at her.

She laughed, "Yeah, I think that was a big part."

"Now we have to go to bed, we have to make an early start tomorrow. And you want to be beautiful don't you?"

"Always."

"Get some rest then," he said, going to his own room.

Stephanie finished packing and got ready for bed. She climbed under the covers and looked up at the ceiling. She didn't know what to do. Part of her just wanted to run away from Hunter, but the other part wanted to talk to him. She didn't know which one to choose, but they were fighting it out inside of her. It was with these plaguing thoughts that she fell asleep.

The next day dawned beautiful and saw Jericho and Stephanie making their way to the next show. Stephanie was hoping the day would go slowly so she wouldn't have to face Hunter, but like anything you don't want to happen, it came all too quickly.

Before she knew it she and Jericho were entering the arena. Though she knew it wasn't true, she felt like everyone's eyes were on her, pitying her, feeling sorry for the poor little rich girl who got cheated on. She could feel herself trembling.

Jericho looked over and saw the look on Stephanie's face. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his own. She was a brave woman coming back and facing everyone like she was. He had to admire her greatly for that. She was stronger than any person he had ever known. She was so a McMahon.

They reached Jericho's dressing room and Stephanie took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. Jericho sat her down on the couch, hoping to help ease her tenseness. She took some more deep breaths before turning to Jericho.

"I felt like they all knew."

"They didn't ok, no one knew."

"You sure?"

"Yes, you have to calm down gorgeous."

"Yeah, I need some coffee."

"Ok, do you want me to get you some?" he asked politely.

"No, I think I can get it for myself," she said, nodding her head like she was trying to convince herself that she could go out there alone.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's just coffee right," she said, trying to laugh, "I'm a big girl, I can handle getting the coffee right?"

"Yeah, you are," he said encouragingly.

"Ok, I'm off," she said, not getting up.

"Um.........Steph," he said.

"I'm getting up," she said, but again didn't get up.

"Steph, do you--"

"No, I got it," she said, finally standing up, "Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

"If I run into him, do I have permission to run back here and hide?"

"If you feel the inclination to run away, my door is always open."

"Ok, I'm going, bye Chris."

"I'll see you in a few Steph."

Stephanie tentatively left the room and looked both ways after she had closed the door. She turned right and went to where she knew that catering was. She would just get some coffee and go, simple as that. She didn't notice someone watching from their doorway.

She was minding her own business when she was pulled into a room. She yelped as she was pulled in and heard the door lock behind her. She took a second to catch her breath when she looked up to see who had been so rude. Her eyes widened as she saw who it was.

It was Hunter.

A/N: I hope you're ready for a bumpy ride. ;)


	14. Chapter 14

Stephanie stared into the eyes of her husband, the man that had cheated on her, broken her heart. Now that this confrontation was actually happening, she wasn't so scared anymore. Actually, she was getting pretty damn confident. He looked at her.

"What are you doing Hunter?" she said, icily.

"Stephanie, I just needed to talk to you."

"Oh, now you want to talk. NOW you want to talk. Don't you think it's a little too late to talk?"

"Stephanie, I just want to talk with you, about what happened, about us."

"Us, there is no us Hunter, ok, there is no us!"

"Steph, there is an us, you know there is baby," he pleaded.

Stephanie couldn't take that look in his eyes, she knew that look. She knew she would never be able to take that look. She'd crack under the pressure, she knew she would. She was under some sort of spell when it came to him.

"No, there isn't."

"Stephanie, this week has been hell without you."

"It wasn't bad for me," Stephanie said, in all honesty. Actually, the week spent with Jericho had eased her mind considerably, "I had a lot of fun, it's different when you're with someone who cares about you."

"Who were you with?"

"Chris, I was with Chris."

"So you were with another man?"

"Not like that Hunter!" she cried, "He let me stay at his house."

"Steph, I'm so sorry ok, I just, I didn't know what I was doing, honestly. I was just, god, I was confused about us. But I realized I don't want to live without you."

"Well too bad, cause you're gonna have to start."

Stephanie made her way over to the door, but was stopped by Hunter's arm. He pulled her back towards him. She tried to get away, but he was too strong for her, and pulled her back easily.

"Please."

"Let go of me. It's over."

He hugged her and put his head on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to hug him back. She could hear him start to cry. She looked down at him, disgusted by his behavior. She didn't know what to think.

"Are you crying?"

He kept crying into her shoulder.

"Get off of me, what are you a wuss?" she said. His only response was to wrap his arms around her waist.

She remained rigid, "If you think this will work you're wrong."

He didn't respond, but started to kiss her neck. His lips felt so good on her skin. She almost let herself fall back into his arms, but the images of him and Stacy still lingered in her mind. But she had to do this gently, because God help her, she still loved this man.

"Hunter, this isn't going to work."

He just kept kissing her neck. If he kept this up, she was going to fall. And she didn't want to fall. The last thing she needed was for him to get under her skin, to give into his charms. She tried to push him away gently.

"Please don't go," he whispered.

"It's too late," she whispered back, "If you hadn't cheated on me, but you did."

"Come on Steph, please give me a second chance."

"Why? Why should I give you a second chance after what you did?"

"Because I need you."

"You didn't need me when you were doing Stacy."

"Stephanie if you give me another chance, I'll make you so happy. I want to have kids with you, I want to have a life with you."

"You blew it."

He grabbed her hand and sat down on the couch, "We can start over. We can have an actual wedding, however you want it. And we'll have kids, a family of our own."

Stephanie closed her eyes, "Hunter, I can't, not anymore."

"Please, one more chance, I promise I won't mess up again. I promise that you'll never have to worry again."

"And when you do mess it up? I'm not going to put myself out there again. You took my heart and broke it."

"I won't mess it up. I promise. Please Steph, trust me," he said, looking up at her.

"You keep making promises that I know you can't keep."

"I can keep them," he said, nodding.

She got up from the couch, "Don't be a liar."

He grabbed her hand again, "I'm not lying to you."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "You can't do anything, it's too late."

She just had to keep the resolve up. As long as she told herself that this was soon to be over, she was fine. She had to get through this, and she would. She just had to keep thinking about how Hunter had been terrible to her, had cheated on her, humiliated her. She could get through this.

"Please Steph, I can't take being without you. Without you I don't have a heart."

"That's bull and you know it!"

"It's not Steph, please, I'm not joking, please believe me," he said, begging.

"I can't, you've lied to me too many times before. And you're lying now, you are."

"I swear, everything I'm telling you is the truth."

There came a knocking on the door. She didn't know who it was, but she didn't care at this point. She would take anyone, anyone, she just wanted out of this room. She couldn't take anymore time alone with him.

"I'm getting that and then getting out of here," she said, getting up.

He grabbed her again, "Please Stephanie, let's just talk."

"I'm getting the door."

"One more chance."

"It's probably Chris," she said, hoping against hopes that it was him.

"I need you Stephanie, please baby."

She squirmed out of his grasp and went towards the door. But before she could go any further he pulled her onto his lap. She tried to get up, but before she could he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against him.

"Let go Hunter."

"No, I need you, and I love you."

"No, no," she shook her head, "I don't want this, I don't want you."

"I know you do, please Steph."

"Hunter, do you have any idea what it was like for me, walking in there like that?"

"I'm so sorry Stephanie, I don't know why I did it. I guess I just felt like I was losing you or something."

"Losing me? I've been faithful to you our entire marriage."

"I don't know, it started with Kurt. I was so jealous, and afraid that you were with him. And then with Jericho, I didn't know if you two were platonic. I just felt like I was losing you and it scared me, and I didn't want to be alone so I turned to Stacy."

"I can't believe that Hunter. Because why wouldn't you talk to me, you could've talked to me," she told him.

"When? Stephanie, you don't realize this, but when you're around your friends you completely ignore me. And that felt awful. I didn't know what else to do."

"Hunter, going out and doing someone is not going to solve your problem, it just creates more problems."

"I know that, and I threw Stacy out of my room, and I haven't talked to her since then, I swear to God."

"I have a hard time believing anything you say to me Hunter. You broke that trust with me."

"And I will do anything to earn it back. Anything to make you happy."

"If you're willing to do anything, then let me go Hunter. Set me free."

"I can't Stephanie, I love you."

Stephanie turned away, "Hunter, please don't say that."

"Stephanie, I love you, I love you so much. And if I could say a million apologies I would. I don't want to lose you, I can't lose you. You don't understand how much you mean to me. Being without you this past week was like torture. It was the worst I've ever felt. I don't want to hurt you anymore, I just want to spend each and every day from now on making you completely happy. And if you'll give me the chance I'll do just that."

"And if you hurt me again?"

"I won't. If I hurt you Stephanie, I'll die. But seriously, if I ever deliberately hurt you again, you can cast me from your life. I'll leave you alone, and I won't ever bother you again. I'll even quit wrestling for you."

Stephanie looked down at him. She loved him, plain and simple. She didn't know what kind of hold he had on her, but she couldn't break it. He seemed sincere in his apology, and she was inclined to believe him. She could clearly see that he held remorse for what he had done.

"It'll take me a long time to trust you again," she said softly.

"I know, but I'm willing to wait."

"And to forgive you as well."

"I don't expect your forgiveness."

She closed her eyes, "Yes."

"Yes?"

"I want to stay with you Hunter."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: To the person who said the last chapter was boring:  
  
Unfortunately, there are going to be boring chapters. It's a part of life, and it's to set up a story. I don't think that you'll find the story boring once I get into it after this. But if you do find it boring, c'est la vie.  
  
~  
  
Jericho looked at his watch. It was taking Stephanie an awfully long time to get coffee. He wondered if she was ok. What if Hunter had cornered her or something? Of if she had gotten into a fight with Stacy?  
  
He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he felt himself falling for Stephanie. It wasn't sudden or anything, it was actually gradual. He hadn't ever hated her, but truth be told, he hadn't liked her all that much. But once he became friends with her, he found it hard not to fall for her.  
  
She was such a great human being. And Hunter had taken that for granted. He hated the man for what he had done to Stephanie. And after that one incredible night with her Jericho was completely enchanted by her. Just then Stephanie walked in and Jericho could plainly see the nervousness in her face.  
  
"Hey gorgeous, what took you so long? I was starting to get worried," he said.  
  
She sat down lightly on the edge of the couch, "I ran into Hunter."  
  
Jericho pulled her into a hug immediately, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to be with you. Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine Chris."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, avoiding his eyes.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I took him back Chris," she said quietly.  
  
Jericho felt like he had been run over by a big rig. He closed his eyes. He knew why it hurt so badly, but he couldn't possibly tell her why this hurt so much. He took a deep breath and swallows, then looked at her.  
  
"Stephanie, are you out of your mind?" he blurted out.  
  
"Chris, you just don't get it."  
  
"Obviously. Have you forgotten that this man cheated on you?!?"  
  
"No, and I told him that it's going to take a long time before I trust him again. But I love him Chris," she said, almost pleading with him to understand.  
  
"I know gorgeous, I know. But think about what this man did to you. I thought you hated him."  
  
"I just couldn't hate him. I could tell that he was sorry for what he had done."  
  
"That doesn't make it any better."  
  
"I know, but I have to try."  
  
"Steph, listen to me. You can do better. You deserver someone who doesn't treat you like the scum at the bottom of the sink."  
  
"Like who? Like you Chris?"  
  
Jericho didn't catch the look in her eyes. It was like she was begging him to give her a way out. Any way that she could find.  
  
"Maybe, who knows? Just anyone but him!"  
  
"I can't Chris, I love him! God knows why. I sure as hell don't, but damn it, I love him! And if you can't accept that then we can't be friends."  
  
That was the last thing Jericho wanted, "You know gorgeous, sometimes I just don't get you."  
  
"I'm not asking you to get me Chris, I don't even get myself. I'm just asking you to be my friend."  
  
"Well, you get what you wanted."  
  
Jericho opened up his arms to her, and she gratefully came to him. She hugged him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her, returning her embrace. He sighed, she made it so hard to be her friend sometimes.  
  
"Thank you for understanding," she whispered.  
  
"Oh, I don't understand you one bit gorgeous, but I am your friend."  
  
"Well, thank you anyways."  
  
"My pleasure."  
  
Stephanie pulled away and stood up, "I better get back to Hunter."  
  
"Ok," he said, sighing.  
  
She went and picked up her suitcase. She rolled it to the door. Jericho looked up at her. Before she left she turned around and looked at him. He tried to smile at her, but found it difficult.  
  
"Thank you for putting up with me this last week. I know that you think it was all for naught since I took him back, but it really wasn't."  
  
"I had fun Steph."  
  
"Good."  
  
She left then and went back to Hunter's locker room, she walked in and saw him sitting there waiting for her, almost anxiously. As soon as she was inside he got up and went up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back.  
  
"I was afraid you wouldn't come back," he told her.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Thought you might realize I'm nowhere near good enough for you."  
  
"Well, I'm here aren't I?"  
  
"And I'm so glad."  
  
"I'm glad too."  
  
"I'm going to make it up to you Stephanie, I promise."  
  
She sat down and tried to act happy. She was happy. She was more than willing to let Hunter try to make it up to her. She just needed time to get over what had happened. Time was what she needed. Just time.  
  
"Hunter, don't worry about making it up to me. I just want to try to forget the past."  
  
He sat down next to her, "Are you sure?"  
  
"It'll take me some time, but I think that eventually, we can put it behind us."  
  
"I hope that we can have that too."  
  
"Good," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.  
  
"So you were with Chris this past week?"  
  
"Yeah, he's a great friend."  
  
"I'm glad you have someone like that in your life," Hunter said honestly.  
  
"Wow, I can tell you've already changed."  
  
"I have Steph, and from here on out, you are going to be my top priority. Not the belt, not my matches, just you."  
  
"I hope we'll be happy too Hunter, I hope so too." 


	16. Chapter 16

Stephanie walked into her locker room. The smell of fresh flowers assaulted her as soon as she stepped inside. She smiled as she looked at all the flowers that were covering every inch of the space. She went over and picked up one of the daisies. Hunter had been doing kind and thoughtful things for her ever since she had taken him back.

She put the daisy back and picked up one of the roses. As she picked it up, a thorn pricked her. She swore silently and sucked on her finger until the bleeding stopped. Then she took her flower and sat down.

"Don't hurt yourself gorgeous," a voice said.

She didn't need to look up to know who it was, "I won't."

"You've got quite the spread here," Jericho said, looking around.

"Hunter's just trying to make it up to me."

"Well, is it working?" Jericho asked, sitting down next to her.

She touched the rose she was holding gently, "Well, I haven't completely forgiven him if that's what you're asking."

"That wasn't what I was asking Steph, I was just asking if you were ok?"

"I'm fine Chris, I'm going to be fine."

"You don't look so happy for someone who's supposed to be fine. Is everything going ok with you and Trips?"

"Yeah, I've just been feeling bleh lately."

"Bleh?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her loosely.

"Yeah, just bleh."

"Bleh like health-wise, or bleh like life wise?"

"Health wise, I think I need a short vacation."

"You have been pushing yourself a lot lately."

"I know, maybe Hunter and I can take a short vacation," she said, turning to face him, "It would help us get back on track, you know get to know one another again."

"Yeah, if that's what you want, go for it."

"Chris," she said warningly, "You don't have to act so petulant."

"I'm not," he protested.

"It'd be good for us."

"I'm sure it would. You deserve to be happy gorgeous. Now, I've gotta go get ready for my match, you gonna be ok by yourself?"

"Of course I will," she smiled.

"Good," he said, kissing her cheek, "See you later."

"Bye Chris."

As soon as Jericho left, Stephanie got up and went over to her bag. She might as well look to see if she had anything important in the next couple weeks. If she didn't she'd ask her dad if she and Hunter could have some time off. She found her datebook and looked at her calendar. Something struck her eyes, and they widened in fright.

"Oh damn," she mumbled, "No, no, no, this can't be happening."

She mentally added dates, and she cringed as she looked back at her datebook. This was not good, this was not good at all. Her breathing became labored as everything suddenly became clear to her. Just as she was doing this, Hunter walked in.

"Hey babe, what's up?" he asked nonchalantly.

She couldn't breathe, but managed to sputter out, "Nothing."

"You don't look so well, you ok?"

"Um.........yeah," she said, getting her breath back.

"What are you up to?"

"I was looking at my schedule for next week."

"Why, you got anything important planned?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"I was thinking maybe we could go on vacation, what do you think?"

"I love that idea," he said, leaning his chin on his shoulder, "But what about work?"

"I'm sure that Daddy will let us have time off."

"Good, then where should we go? Hawaii?"

Stephanie's mind was still reeling, "Hawaii sounds good."

"Great, I'm gonna hit the showers," he answered, then kissed her cheek.

"Ok."

Hunter left and Stephanie collapsed against the couch, her still open datebook in her hands. This was the worst possible thing that could happen. She suddenly felt like she was the guilty party in this whole mess. But maybe it wasn't even true, yeah, maybe it wasn't true and she was worrying over nothing. She'd have to find out, and she'd have to find out soon.

She walked into the bathroom where Hunter was already in the shower, "Hunter, I'm kind of hungry, I'm going to go to the store and pick up some chips or something."

"Why don't you go to catering?"

"They don't have anything I like."

"Ok, see you in a while."

"Ok."

Stephanie walked out of the bathroom and out of the locker room. She hated lying, but there was no other way. She walked briskly down the hallway hoping that no one would see her, but unfortunately someone did, someone who she didn't need to see right now.

"Steph, wait up!" Jericho called

Stephanie winced and turned around slowly, "Hey Chris, I'm in a hurry."

"Where you heading gorgeous?"

"Just to the store to get some food."

"Cool, can I tag along?"

"Actually, I was just going to go really quickly, just in and out, no big deal," she said quickly. She did not want him there.

"Ok, I guess that's a clue in to the fact you don't want me to go."

"No, no, it's not that, I'm just going to be really quick, I swear. And besides, your match just ended, and you're all sweaty, don't you think a shower is in order?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, see you later though?"

"Of course," she said, giving him a strained smile.

She left swiftly after that and got into her and Hunter's rental car for the evening. She drove to the nearest store and went inside. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she went over and got what she had come for. She also got some chips since she didn't want to go back empty-handed and have to explain why she didn't get any food on her trip. She paid the cashier, careful to avoid eye contact and left.

She got back the arena, and tried to figure out the best place to do this. She went inside, and cautiously made her way to one of the empty bathrooms. She did her business, then waited, sitting on the counter. The time seemed to pass slowly, too slowly for her liking. Finally, when she was at her wit's end, she realized that this was it.

She slowly looked down. She closed her eyes momentarily, before looking. Her eyes welled up in tears as her worst fears were confirmed. She didn't know how to react.

She was pregnant.

And it wasn't Hunter's, that was for sure. She hadn't slept with Hunter for months. And they had decided to take it slow after they had reunited, and so they hadn't slept together yet. And that left only one answer, one possible explanation that scared Stephanie to the very depth of her soul.

She was having Chris Jericho's baby.

A/N: I bet you all weren't expecting the story to go in this direction.........or were you? ;)


	17. Chapter 17

Stephanie stared up at the ceiling. How could she have gotten herself in this predicament? If she had just kept her hands to herself, none of this would've happened. But it did happen and now she was suffering from the fallout. She didn't know what to do, what could she possibly do?  
  
She turned on her side and stared at Hunter, who was sleeping next to her. She loved him so much, and she wanted to be with him. She was still getting over what he had done to her, but she was willing to look past that. And she had turned around and gotten pregnant by another man. She and Hunter had always wanted kids, and now the dream was coming true for her, but not for him.  
  
She sighed and laid on her back. She thought about Jericho. Could she tell him? What if he didn't want a kid, what if he turned around and called her a slut, just like he used to? No, she thought, he'd never do that, not anymore. But the first thing that came to mind with him, was keep it a secret.  
  
An idea floated through her mind and she suddenly perked up. She knew what she could do so that no one got hurt. She'd go on her vacation with Hunter, and she'd sleep with him, and then when she eventually went to the doctor, a nice amount of time later, she could say it was Hunter's baby. And Chris, well, he didn't need to be burdened with this, he probably didn't even want kids in the first place. She smiled to herself before falling asleep.  
  
********************  
  
"So you're going on vacation for a week?" Jericho asked as he and Stephanie were walking down the hallway at a show.  
  
"Yup, going to Hawaii," she said, smiling.  
  
"That should be fun for you."  
  
"For me and Hunter, not just me."  
  
"Well, if it were up to me, he'd have a miserable time," Jericho said, laughing.  
  
"Shut it Chris," she said jokingly.  
  
Suddenly she felt a wave of nausea come over her. She covered her mouth and ran to the nearest bathroom where she threw up for what seemed like forever. Jericho had silently followed her, surprised by the sudden shades of green Stephanie had gotten. He stood outside the bathroom door.  
  
"Steph, you ok?" he asked in a concerned tone.  
  
Stephanie wiped her mouth with a shaking hand, "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure? Can I come in?"  
  
"If you want to."  
  
He gingerly made his way into the bathroom, locking the door behind him, "What's the matter gorgeous?"  
  
"How can you say I'm gorgeous when I'm leaning over a toilet bowl throwing up everything I've eaten in the past week?"  
  
"You're always gorgeous, even when you're throwing up," he grinned, "Now are you ok?"  
  
"I'm ok, just not feeling well."  
  
"Maybe you should go see the company doctor?"  
  
"Nah, I think it was something I ate last night, that's the last time I order raw oysters, I think they just upset my tummy," she lied.  
  
"Tummy?" he said, giving her a look.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just hearing you say tummy is pretty weird."  
  
She laughed, "Whatever, wanna help me up?"  
  
"Always," he said, holding out his hand.  
  
She took it and let him help her up. She looked at him, and suddenly wanted to tell him what was really wrong with her. It wasn't fair to keep this from him, but she just couldn't tell him, she couldn't ruin so many people's lives. She walked over to the sinks and rinsed her mouth and washed her hands.  
  
"You don't have to stare at me you know?" she said, looking up to see him staring at her through the mirror.  
  
"Sue me for being worried," he said.  
  
"I think I shall, and drain you for every penny you're worth," she joked.  
  
He laughed, "I'm sure you could, now really, are you ok?"  
  
"Chris, please stop worrying about me."  
  
"Not gonna stop gorgeous, you're stuck with me worrying about you. It's what friends do, and you need someone to worry about you."  
  
"I have Hunter."  
  
"Yeah, but when Hunter screws up, who you going to turn to?"  
  
"You of course."  
  
"Exactly, and I need to be on my toes."  
  
"Chris, thank you for being a great friend, especially since I don't have too many of those. And whatever happens, don't think that I don't value your friendship above all else."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Just...trust me on this one."  
  
"Ok," he said, still confused by her sudden serious behavior.  
  
She went over and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug, pulling her closer to him. Stephanie, despite anything else, was thankful for him. He did give her what she wanted most in the world, a baby of her very own. And for that she would always be grateful towards him.  
  
"I'll miss you when I'm on vacation," she said, still in the tight embrace.  
  
"No you won't, you'll be having so much fun running down the beach and getting a tan, you won't even miss me."  
  
"Yes I will."  
  
"I'll miss you too."  
  
"Good."  
  
***********************  
  
Stephanie sat next to Hunter on the plane to Hawaii. They were heading towards Maui and she was looking out the window. The only thing she could see right now was the ocean, but that in itself was a beautiful sight. She felt Hunter's hand grasp hers, and she turned to look at him.  
  
"I'm glad we're getting away," he said softly in her ear.  
  
"Me too, it'll be good for us."  
  
"Yeah, I'm still sorry for what happened."  
  
"Hunter, I know, you don't have to keep saying it," she told him, leaning over to kiss him.  
  
"I know, but I just want you to know that I mean it."  
  
She smiled, "I know you mean it."  
  
"And I'll make it up to you this week, we'll do everything you want to do."  
  
"Everything?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Steph?"  
  
"Oh, we'll have fun Hunter, trust me on this one," she said, smiling mischievously.  
  
The rest of the plane ride was blissfully uneventful, and before they knew it, they were landing in sunny Hawaii. They deplaned and went to the limo that was awaiting their arrival. The hotel they were staying at was beautiful and upscale. They made their way up to the room, and when they opened the door, Stephanie gasped at the sheer grandeur of it all. It was truly the stuff of dreams.  
  
"This is so great," she said in awe.  
  
"I know, wow," Hunter said, equally enraptured.  
  
"God, this is just so...I'm speechless."  
  
"So what do you wanna do first?" he asked.  
  
She turned to him, and grabbed his collar then kissed him deeply, "Let me show you."  
  
"Are you sure Steph? I mean, I thought you wanted to take it slow."  
  
"Yeah, I'm tired of taking it slow, I want you Hunter, and I want you now," she said seductively.  
  
"Well, I'm not gonna argue with that," he said, kissing her again.  
  
She led him into the bedroom and fell down onto the bed. If she was going through with this plan, then it needed to start now. She closed her eyes and just let herself be taken care of by Hunter. She knew it wasn't going to be easy pulling this whole thing off, but if anyone could do it, then she could. She was a McMahon after all, and McMahon's could do anything they damn well pleased.  
  
Hunter started unbuttoning her top, "Steph, I missed you so much."  
  
"I missed you too," she whispered, letting him kiss her softly.  
  
"You mean so much to me," he said, kissing every inch of skin he exposed.  
  
"How much?"  
  
"You mean everything in the world to me."  
  
"Good, and you promise never to hurt me again?"  
  
"I swear on my life."  
  
She moan softly, "Thank you."  
  
"I love you Stephanie."  
  
"I love you too Hunter."  
  
~  
  
A/N: Thank God that's over, I think I almost had a heart attack attempting to write that last scene. Talk about disgusting, but you have to suffer for your work. ;) 


	18. Chapter 18

"So how was your trip?"  
  
"It was fun," she said, turning to him.  
  
"That's good," he said, wrapping his arm around her.  
  
Stephanie wanted to shrug his arm off, but she knew he'd get suspicious and didn't want that to happen. During her entire vacation she had had third and fourth thoughts about the plan she was attempting to execute. She felt terribly guilty for keeping this from Jericho, but she didn't really have a choice.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I see you've got a tan, you spend a lot of time in the sun?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, the beaches there were really nice," she told him.  
  
"I'm sure they were, while I was stuck here, missing you and wrestling my ass off," he chuckled.  
  
"You missed me?" she asked, turning to him.  
  
"Of course I did gorgeous."  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
"Oh, I feel so special now."  
  
"Chris," she said, turning to him.  
  
"Yeah gorgeous?"  
  
"Um...nothing."  
  
"You sure, you look like you have something on your mind?"  
  
"Nah, it's nothing," she said, shaking her head, "Nothing at all."  
  
~ONE MONTH LATER~  
  
Stephanie walked into the doctor's office after having her check up. She knew that she was pregnant already, but she had had to wait the necessary time to make it believable. And she felt that she had, so now she was here at the doctor's preparing herself for what she already knew.  
  
"Mrs. McMahon-Helmsley, you're pregnant," the doctor told her.  
  
"I thought I was, and the baby is ok?"  
  
"It seems just fine, I want to do another check up to make sure that everything is going ok."  
  
"Ok, when should I schedule that?"  
  
"We can schedule it for next week. You're about six weeks along."  
  
"Thank you doctor," she said smiling and getting up.  
  
She left the office and took a deep breath. It was all just how she expected it. The only hard part was keeping the secret and not letting it be known to Hunter how far along she actually was. Other than that, it would all be ok, wouldn't it?  
  
She drove back home, and pulled into her driveway. She was going to tell Hunter that she was pregnant, and she just hoped that he would accept it. A little part of her hoped he didn't so she would have an easy way out.  
  
She walked inside and into the living room, where she found Hunter sitting on the couch, watching some television. He hadn't known she had been to the doctor, so this was going to come as a shock to him. She sat down next to him and turned off the television.  
  
"Hey babe," he said, leaning over to kiss her, "Where've you been?"  
  
"Hunter, I went to the doctor," she said slowly.  
  
"What? Why?" he asked concerned.  
  
She took a deep breath, "Hunter, baby, I'm pregnant."  
  
He sat there, shocked by the news. She squeezed his hand, hoping to elicit some sort of response from her. A few moments later he took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. She gave sigh of relief and let herself embrace him back.  
  
"Oh my God, how far along are you?" he asked, still hugging her.  
  
"About a month," she lied.  
  
"Wow, so it had to have happened in Hawaii."  
  
"Yeah, I guess that's right," she said, a bit uneasily.  
  
"Wow, oh my God, this is great, I'm going to be a Daddy, wow, me a Daddy. Thank you so much Steph," he said kissing her.  
  
"So you're happy?"  
  
"Of course I'm happy aren't you babe?"  
  
"Yeah, couldn't be happier."  
  
"I'm so glad we're together."  
  
"Me too Hunter, me too."  
  
***********************  
  
Stephanie sat in her locker room, watching Hunter cut a promo in the ring. Now that everyone knew she was pregnant she wasn't allowed to go out to the ring anymore, even if she had contended that she would be safe. She sat back against the back of the couch and rested her hand on her stomach.  
  
"A little birdie told me you were expecting," a voice said.  
  
"Chris," she said happily, standing up.  
  
"Now, why didn't I get to hear the news straight from the source?" he said, mock angry.  
  
"Because I haven't seen you since I got here that's why."  
  
"Well, come here you," he said, coming over and picking her up and hugging her.  
  
She hugged him back, "I didn't think you'd be so happy."  
  
"Hey, I'm happy because you're happy, and that's all that matters."  
  
"Hunter is happy too."  
  
"Yeah, and let him be happy," Jericho said, "It's you I care about."  
  
"I'm glad I have you on my side."  
  
"So how far along are you?" he asked, almost excitedly.  
  
She looked at him and knew instantly that he would loved children, especially his own. She suddenly wanted to tell him that the baby she was carrying was his. She knew he'd be so happy, despite her being married. But she simply couldn't, something was just holding her back.  
  
"A month," she told him.  
  
"Wow, that's so awesome, now I have a question for you?" he said seriously.  
  
Stephanie's heart skipped a beat, she swore she thought he was going to ask if he was the father, "Um.....ok."  
  
"Can I be Uncle Chris?" he grinned.  
  
Stephanie let out her breath, she felt so relieved, "Of course you'll be Uncle Chris?"  
  
"Cool," he said excitedly, "I love kids, someday I hope to have some of my own."  
  
Stephanie groaned inwardly, he was making this very hard, "It'll come true someday Chris, I'm sure of it."  
  
"Yeah, I guess if I find the right woman. Too bad Hunter got to see the real you first, if you were single, I'd snatch you up so fast."  
  
The funny thing was Jericho wasn't lying. He had come to realize that he cared for Stephanie as much more than a friend. Truth be told, he had been a little torn up by the news. He'd be lying if he didn't hope that he and Stephanie would eventually get together, but now she was pregnant and happy, and he wasn't an advocate of breaking up a family.  
  
"That's sweet of you to say, I'd probably let you snatch me up."  
  
"Damn straight you would, you'd never be able to resist me," he joked, grinning impishly.  
  
"Hey, one time I couldn't," she winked.  
  
He made a funny face, "Stephanie, I thought we were keeping that under wraps?"  
  
"We are, but hey, I can bring it up when I'm around you right?"  
  
"Hey, we can do it again if you want?" he kidded.  
  
She laughed, "No thanks Chris, but thanks for the offer."  
  
"Just checking."  
  
As they were speaking, Hunter walked into the room. He walked over to Stephanie, missing Jericho's slight eye roll at seeing the man. He still hadn't quite forgiven him for what he had done to Stephanie, even if Stephanie had. Hunter leaned in to kiss Stephanie, and gave her stomach a slight rub.  
  
"How's my wife and child?" he asked.  
  
"We're good," she told him, smiling slightly.  
  
"Hey Trips, just wanted to say congratulations," Jericho said, sticking his hand out.  
  
"Thanks man," Hunter responded, shaking his hand.  
  
Stephanie was struck by the vision before her. She'd never in a million years expected Jericho to shake Hunter's hand. She knew that while Hunter never had a problem with Jericho after they had become friends, that Jericho had a huge problem with Hunter after he had cheated on her. But he was willing to put that aside for her and her baby. And another thought that she couldn't let go was the fact that one of these men was her baby's father.  
  
And it wasn't the one they thought it was. 


	19. Chapter 19

Stephanie gently rubbed her stomach. She sighed as she thought about the situation. She had been lying for the past 3 months and she felt terrible. Hunter was being the perfect husband, taking care of her so diligently, and everyone was just being so nice, especially Jericho, and that made her feel even more like a horrible person.  
  
Hunter walked into the room, sweaty and tired from his match. He wiped the sweat off with a towel and went over to sit himself next to Stephanie. She turned her body towards him.  
  
"How's my wife and baby?" Hunter asked.  
  
Stephanie gave him a smile, "We're fine."  
  
"Good, good," he told her.  
  
He put his hand to her stomach and rubbed the slight bulge. Then he leaned over and kissed her. She kissed back, though her mind still felt uneasy every time he touched her. She knew it was the guilt that was building up inside of her.  
  
"So when's your next doctor's appointment?" he asked her.  
  
"In a few days," she told him.  
  
"Good, I want to be there."  
  
"Ok," she complied  
  
"You want me there right? I mean, I missed the last two and I want to be there."  
  
"Of course I want you to be there, you're my husband, aren't you?" she said, purposefully leaving out the moniker of her baby's father.  
  
"Yeah, though for a while there I wasn't too sure you wanted me to hold that title."  
  
"Well, you made a mistake, but we all make mistakes right?"  
  
"But it was a pretty huge mistake."  
  
"Yeah, but--"  
  
"Steph, I'm glad you took me back."  
  
"I'm glad I took you back too."  
  
"I really didn't think you would, and I wouldn't have blamed you if you had left me, I mean, I don't deserve you or our baby in your life."  
  
"You deserve me," she told him, once again avoiding the subject of the baby being his.  
  
"No Steph, I'm just a lucky bastard."  
  
"Yeah, but I had to take you back, it was the right thing to do. You made a mistake, but we love each other, and we had to move past it."  
  
"I'm just saying that I just don't think I deserve you."  
  
"Don't think that way. We moved on, and look at me, I'm pregnant, we're good, I promise."  
  
"You're the best, you know that right?"  
  
"I like to think I'm the best."  
  
"You are."  
  
"I love you," she said.  
  
He smiled at her, "I love you too."  
  
Stephanie leaned against him and sighed in content. This would work, she knew or at least hoped it would. Hopefully the baby didn't look exactly like Jericho, maybe a little and no one would notice. That was the key, not getting anyone to notice.  
  
"Babe, I'm going to get something to eat, did you want anything?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
"You sure, maybe you should eat something?"  
  
"But I'm not hungry."  
  
"But the baby..."  
  
"Hunter, we'll be fine. I promised, I don't have to eat all the time."  
  
"Ok, I get it," he laughed to himself.  
  
"But thank you for the offer," she said sweetly.  
  
"No problem babe," he said before leaving.  
  
Stephanie turned her gaze back to the television, just in time to catch Jericho's match against Chris Benoit. He was gaining the advantage and she cheered him on. She smiled to herself when he pinned Benoit for the one, two, three.  
  
"I'm sorry you can't know your real daddy baby," Stephanie said to her unborn child, "It would just be more complicated that way and Mommy doesn't want you to have to go through that."  
  
She looked back at the screen, seeing Jericho walk triumphantly up the ramp and to the backstage area.  
  
"He's a good man though, "she said to herself, "A very good man."  
  
As if knowing that he had just been being talked about, Jericho knocked on Stephanie's door.  
  
"Come in," she called out, not bothering to ask who it was.  
  
Jericho came in and grinned, "How's my favorite mother-to-be?"  
  
"She's doing well thank you."  
  
"Good, I was hoping to hear that."  
  
"So what brings you here Chris?"  
  
"Just wanted to check up on you."  
  
"That's really sweet of you."  
  
"You're my friend Steph, and to be brutally honest, you're my best friend," Jericho admitted a little sheepishly.  
  
Stephanie was flattered, but it brought out that feeling of guilt. She didn't know that Jericho thought of her like that. She was his best friend, how had that happened, they used to despise each other. Of course, the whole being pregnant with his child thing kind of transcended that as well.  
  
"You're my best friend too Chris, but then again, I don't have too many friends."  
  
He laughed, "Hmm...I wonder why that is?"  
  
"Shut it Jericho."  
  
"Hey I didn't say anything," he said as innocently as he could muster.  
  
"Uh huh, I don't believe that for one moment."  
  
"Fine, well, I'm gonna go shower, see you later gorgeous."  
  
"See you Chris, congratulations on your win by the way."  
  
"Thanks, always feels good to win."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Jericho walked out and Stephanie looked down at her stomach again. She tenderly touched her abdomen and sighed. It felt like all she did nowadays was sigh. She didn't notice Jericho open the door again to ask her something.  
  
"That was your daddy," she whispered.  
  
"WHAT?!?!?" 


	20. Chapter 20

Stephanie looked up in alarm as Jericho stood in her doorway. His eyes were impossibly wide and were boring into her own wide eyes. They both stayed silent for what seemed like an eternity, frozen in the same positions, both too afraid to speak, to move, to try to comprehend what the hell was going on?  
  
"Stephanie what did you say?" he said, ending the tense, silent moment.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about?" she told him, her first instincts to be to lie.  
  
"Stephanie, you just said, 'that's your daddy.' Now what's going on?"  
  
"Chris, it wasn't the way you thought."  
  
"Oh, then please tell me the right way to think, by all means, go ahead."  
  
"What I meant," Stephanie paused for a short second, "Was that Hunter was on screen and I was telling MY baby that Hunter was their father."  
  
Jericho looked at her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. She tried to look guiltless, but she had no idea if she was actually pulling it off. As she looked into Jericho's eyes, she had a feeling that she wasn't doing as good a job as she had hoped.  
  
"Stephanie, tell me the truth," he coaxed.  
  
"Chris..." she said hesitantly.  
  
"Stephanie I deserve to know the truth."  
  
Stephanie's lip quivered, "Chris, this baby is yours."  
  
Jericho collapsed into the nearest chair. He could feel his heart pounding, and it was going a mile a minute, it seemed. He took a few calming breaths, but they weren't helping. He ran both hands through his hair, something he did when he was nervous.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me Steph?"  
  
"Because if I had told you, I'd just be a hippocrate."  
  
Jericho looked at her questioningly, "How so?"  
  
"I almost leave Hunter for sleeping with Stacy, and then I run off and sleep with you and get pregnant with your child."  
  
"But you and Trips were broken up."  
  
"But he might not think that!" she protested.  
  
"And why does that matter?"  
  
"Because I love him Chris. I don't want to lose him."  
  
"But Steph, don't you think I deserve to know my child?"  
  
"You do, but Chris, I'm just so confused right now."  
  
"Steph, you need to make a choice here."  
  
"I know Chris," she said, covering her face, "I know..."  
  
"Steph, whatever you decide to do, whether it be to stay with Hunter or not, I want you to know I'm here either way. I know it's cliché to say it, I know that sometimes people don't mean it, and I know that you're scared, but believe me when I say, however it goes down, I'm here either way gorgeous."  
  
Stephanie looked grateful, "Thank you Chris. I'll keep that in mind."  
  
Jericho got up to hug her, and she stood up as well. He embraced her, and she hugged him back. As they hugged, Hunter walked back in the room after going to catering.  
  
"Hey guys," he said, walking in casually.  
  
"Hey sweetie," Stephanie said, pulling away from Jericho.  
  
"What's up Jericho?"  
  
Jericho looked at Stephanie, who was pleading silently to him, not to tell her, now their, secret. Jericho knew immediately what she was asking of him, and though he didn't want to keep this life-changing secret, he respected Stephanie's decision. He gave her a slight nod, and she gave him a look of relief.  
  
"Just decided to see how Steph was," Jericho answered.  
  
"Cool, they're both fine," Hunter said.  
  
"Hunter, I can answer for myself you know," Stephanie said, a bit agitated that he would just take control and answer on her behalf.  
  
"Sorry baby."  
  
"It's fine, I'll see you later Chris."  
  
"Yeah, we'll definitely talk later," Jericho said, looking at her pointedly.  
  
"Bye Jericho," Hunter said, unaware of the look Jericho had been sending Stephanie.  
  
"Yeah, bye."  
  
Jericho left, leaving Hunter and Stephanie alone again. Except this time, Stephanie felt more guilty than she had before Jericho knew the truth, and she didn't know how she was going to deal with the situation. No matter what she did people were going to get hurt. And that was the last thing she wanted to happen.  
  
A couple of days later, and Stephanie was still dumbfounded as to what she was going to do. She looked over at Hunter who was driving them to Stephanie's doctor. He would simply be devastated if he knew the truth. They had talked about children, and he had always been excited at the prospect. And she had gone out and gotten herself knocked up by another guy. And not just any guy, her best friend.  
  
"I can't wait to see the little one," he said, reaching over to rub her stomach.  
  
"Yeah, you'll love it."  
  
"I know I will. So do I get to hear the heartbeat?"  
  
"If you want."  
  
"I want."  
  
They arrived at the doctor's and they got out of the car. They walked hand in hand into the office and Stephanie checked herself in. They sat down to wait for Stephanie to be called in.  
  
"I'm excited," Hunter whispered in her ear.  
  
"Good."  
  
The nurse called Stephanie's name and she stood up, Hunter standing up as well. He grabbed her hand as they walked through the door and into the back. They were lead into a small room and the nurse told Stephanie to sit on the examining table and what to do to prepare for the doctor.  
  
"You nervous?" he asked as the nurse left them.  
  
"No, I'm used to it by now."  
  
"Oh," he chuckled, "Good to know."  
  
The doctor came in and said hello to the both of them and asked how Stephanie was. She responded that she was well and he proceeded with the examination. He finished the examination fairly quickly, telling her she looked good, then brought out the ultrasound machine.  
  
"This is the fun part," the doctor said.  
  
"It sure is," Stephanie agreed.  
  
The doctor poured a little gel over Stephanie's stomach, and took out the wand connected to the ultrasound machine. He put it on her stomach and moved it around, studying the screen. He stopped it and turned back to Hunter and Stephanie.  
  
"There's your baby," he said, pointing to the screen.  
  
"Oh wow," Hunter said.  
  
"Cool huh?" the doctor said.  
  
"Definitely, can we hear the heartbeat?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Of course," the doctor said, turning a knob on the machine causing a fast little beat to fill the room.  
  
"That's so cool," Hunter said, leaning down to kiss Stephanie's forehead, "Don't you think so babe?"  
  
"Uh huh," Stephanie said, not looking him in the eyes.  
  
The rest of the examination was uneventful and Stephanie found herself sitting in the car once again, but going home this time. She looked down her hand which was intertwined with Hunter's. Her wedding band was glistening in the afternoon sun. She had totally failed in the never stray department, but it wasn't really her fault.  
  
They arrived home and Hunter went into the kitchen to get something to eat while Stephanie sat on the couch. She looked down at the sonogram picture in her hands. That was her baby, hers, and not her husband's. It was weird thinking something was hers and not his, especially something like this.  
  
"Babe, you want something to eat?"  
  
"No thanks," she said.  
  
"You sure, you haven't had much to eat today."  
  
"Yeah, I'm just not hungry."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yes!" she snapped, then caught herself, "Sorry, mood swing."  
  
"It's ok," he said, coming over to sit next to her.  
  
Stephanie continued to stare at the picture. She was still a little in awe of the life she and Jericho were creating.  
  
"Is something wrong Steph?"  
  
She turned her head, "No, of course not, why would you think that?"  
  
"You just seem distant or something."  
  
"Nah, I was just looking at the picture."  
  
"Of our baby," he said proudly.  
  
Stephanie gazed down at the picture, and thought of her and Jericho and that night they had spent together. The night they had created this child. The night that she lied about day in and day out.  
  
"Yeah, our baby." 


	21. Chapter 21

Jericho still couldn't believe it. It had been a few days since Stephanie had dropped the bombshell on him and he was still in a state of disbelief. He was actually going to be a father. This was just crazy, him as a father, he couldn't even imagine it. Would he even make a good father? He hoped so.  
  
The even crazier part was the fact that he was having a child with Stephanie. Of all the woman in the world, she was one of the last he ever suspected he would ever procreate with. If he was being completely truthful though, since he and Stephanie had become friends, he had to admit that he was falling for her.  
  
He didn't want it to happen, and he wasn't quite sure when it had happened, but he definitely knew that he liked her.....a lot. A hell of lot if he was being honest. He couldn't tell her though, she was in love with Hunter, and that was fine, but that man did not deserve her. He didn't deserve her love, or loyalty, or body, and he definitely didn't deserve a child with her.  
  
He got up and left his locker room, deciding that a walk around would help him immensely. He needed to get his mind off of this for a moment. As luck would have it, the first person he came across was Stephanie. He smiled timidly at her, they hadn't spoken since she had revealed the surprising news.  
  
"Hey," he said, walking up to her.  
  
"Chris," she said nervously, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Kinda work here."  
  
She looked down, "Yeah."  
  
"So, um, I was wondering how you were, you know," Jericho said, looking down at her stomach.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"And the...baby?"  
  
"It's fine too, we're both fine," she said awkwardly, the situation becoming unbearably uncomfortable.  
  
"That's good," he said, shuffling his feet, "I want you both to be ok."  
  
Stephanie smiled softly. Despite everything that had gone down, the long and skinny of it was the fact that she was having his kid. That they were sharing something that went beyond any awkwardness or marriages or love. They were having a child together and that's what mattered.  
  
"Thank you for asking."  
  
"So I heard you had a doctor's appointment," Jericho said, trying to hide the hurt that he felt that she hadn't asked him to come.  
  
"Yeah, just your normal, run-of-the-mill doctor's appointments."  
  
"Did Trips go with you?"  
  
"Yeah, he did."  
  
"So I take it you haven't told him."  
  
Stephanie looked around cautiously, "Chris, I don't think we should be talking about this here."  
  
"Then where Steph?" he asked anxiously.  
  
"Come on," she said, pulling him back into his locker room, "Chris, I haven't told Hunter yet."  
  
"Then when are you?"  
  
"When the time is right?"  
  
"Can I have a time frame or something, a ballpark number for when that's going to be?" Jericho asked.  
  
"I have to think about this Chris."  
  
"What's there to think about Stephanie?"  
  
"A lot of things ok," she looked at her watch, "I've got to go Chris."  
  
"We're not done here Steph!"  
  
"Chris, I have to go, we'll talk later," she said, rushing out of the room.  
  
Jericho watched her leave the room and stood there staring at the gray door for several minutes. Why was Stephanie avoiding him so much now? This wasn't like her, and he didn't like it either. They needed to figure these things out. Lita walked into his locker room unannounced.  
  
"Chris, Matt was wondering if," she looked at Jericho and could sense something was amiss, "Chris are you ok?"  
  
"No, not really," he admitted, sitting down on the couch.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"There's just a lot of things that are crazy right now," he said to her.  
  
She sat down next to him, "You wanna share?"  
  
"No, I don't think you'd want to hear my sob story."  
  
"Well of course I would," she laughed, "You know I always love hearing about the problems of the great Chris Jericho."  
  
"Not a problem really, just really don't like that Stephanie is with Hunter," he said.  
  
Jericho knew that Lita had one of the biggest mouths in the company. Anything that he told her would be sure to get around in no time flat. As much as he loved the girl to pieces, he wouldn't tell her a secret if his life depended on it. Better keep it to himself until he found a trustworthy person to confide in.  
  
"Well, who didn't know that," Lita said, rolling her eyes, "Ever since the incident with Stacy you haven't liked him."  
  
"Yeah, I know, I just wish Stephanie would gain some insight and divorce him or punish him or something."  
  
"Well, you can't rush her I suppose," she said, "Now, do you have any wrist tape that Matt can borrow."  
  
Jericho shook his head, "You're too much."  
  
He got up and retrieved his wrist tape from his bag. He threw it to Lita, who thanked him and left. Jericho decided that he did need to confide in someone, but he didn't know who exactly to confide in. He got up and went to get a water from catering when he bumped into Kurt.  
  
"Hey Kurt," Jericho said, walking by him.  
  
"Hey Chris, you look down."  
  
"Nah, I'm just in no mood to talk to anyone."  
  
"Oh, that's too bad."  
  
"Yeah, hey do you know where Benoit is?"  
  
"Yeah, he's in his locker room."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
If anyone could keep a secret and remain impartial it was Chris Benoit. The man was so tight-lipped it wasn't even funny. Jericho could use someone who he knew wouldn't tell and who he knew could give him honest advice on the subject. He decided to forgo catering and head straight for Benoit.  
  
"Chris, can I talk to you?" Jericho asked walking into Benoit's locker room.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I need to talk. There's something I need to get out."  
  
"Fine, what is it?" Benoit asked, looking up at him.  
  
"I'm falling hard for Stephanie," Jericho said, sitting down.  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"So!?! What do you mean so? I'm like falling in love with her, and she's married!"  
  
"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"  
  
"Tell me what to do," Jericho said, knowing that he didn't have any of the answers.  
  
"Well, you know, she's married and pregnant, so that pretty much means that you have no chance, so if I were you, I'd forget her," Benoit told him simply.  
  
"Yeah, but there's a wrench in those plans."  
  
"There is?"  
  
"Yeah, but you have to promise not to tell, and when I say promise, I mean on your life."  
  
"Who am I going to tell?" Benoit said, giving him a look like he was crazy or something.  
  
"I don't know, but you just can't tell anyone."  
  
"I got that already, what is it?"  
  
"Stephanie is carrying MY baby, not Hunter's."  
  
Jericho expected a shocked reaction out of Benoit, something in the vein of jaw dropping or eyes bugging out. But of course, in typical Chris Benoit fashion, he seem unfazed by the news, as if Jericho had just said that it was cloudy outside.  
  
"Well, yeah, that complicates things," Benoit nodded.  
  
"Ya think?" Jericho said annoyed.  
  
"Well, how did this happen?"  
  
"I spent one night with her. And it happened, simple as that."  
  
"And now you're in love with her?"  
  
"Well, I think I am, I mean, I know how I feel, and whenever she's around me, I just get this feeling in the pit of my stomach. And it's like, I miss her when I'm with her because I know that she'll leave me soon."  
  
"Oh wow, you've got it bad."  
  
"Yeah, but she's still with that stupid husband of hers that cheats on her and then she takes him back! I mean, what is with that!?! And while she's carrying my child too! I mean, come on!"  
  
"Ok, calm down, no need to start an uproar. The answer is simple here Chris."  
  
"It is?" Jericho asked, looking up as if Benoit were a sage who knew all the answers.  
  
"You have to tell her that you are there for her, and that you love her. You need to show her that she has other choices besides Triple H."  
  
"But what if she doesn't love me back?"  
  
"Well, you have to take that risk, but how do you know she doesn't?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I should tell her."  
  
"See, I knew my advice would work."  
  
"Ok, well, thanks for listening I guess."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Jericho left his locker room and walked aimlessly down the hallway. He had to talk to Stephanie. Benoit was right, he needed to let Stephanie know that she didn't have to be stuck with Hunter. She didn't have to be with him if she didn't want to. And maybe she loved Jericho back. Maybe they would get together. He reached her locker room and tentatively knocked.  
  
This was going to be one hell of a conversation. 


	22. Chapter 22

Chris shuffled his feet as he waited in front of her door. He just prayed that Hunter wasn't there because he didn't want to have to deal with the other man right now. He might just break down and confess everything that was eating in him up inside. He sighed and was about to leave when she opened the door. He looked up at her face, her mouth a small 'o' of surprise.

Stephanie opened the door and was surprised to see Chris on the other side. They hadn't really talked much since she had confessed her little secret, and she didn't really want to. It was just too hard to figure out everything. Why couldn't she have just gotten pregnant by her husband?

"Chris," she said, trying to give him a smile.

"Hey, I needed to talk."

"Um, I'm kind of busy, can it wait?" she said nervously.

"No, it can't," he said.

"Chris, I don't think this is the best time to talk," she said, looking around, expecting someone to jump out.

"So I can't talk to you anymore, is that it?" he said, starting to get angry.

"No, it's not that, it's just, things are weird."

"You think I don't know!"

"Chris, please calm down."

"It's hard to do Stephanie," he said, already exasperated.

"I know it is."

"Can I just come in, there's some things that I need to tell you."

She bit her lip, thinking for a moment, her eyes darting around at a frantic pace, "I don't really know when Hunter is going to be coming back and it probably wouldn't look too good if we were in here."

"Stephanie, can you please stop trying to come up with these lame excuses to try and avoid me. I can see right through your act."

She looked down, afraid to meet his eyes. He was exactly right, just like usual. She was trying to avoid him, but what else could she do? She didn't want to tell Hunter the truth, he would never understand. He would never accept this turn of events. He'd never raise a child that wasn't his. And she didn't want to lose him, as sad and sorry, and even a little pathetic as that sounded.

"Fine, let's talk, might as well get this over with," she muttered to herself as she took a seat, "What do you have to say?"

"What's with the attitude Stephanie?"

"Chris, you come in here demanding to talk, even when I don't want to, what am I supposed to act like? This isn't the situation I wanted."

"Well deal with it!" Chris said, raising his voice, causing Stephanie to jump. Chris instantly regretted the action and reached out to calm Stephanie down, but she was having none of it, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"I know," she said, softly, looking away, "I just want to get this all settled."

"So do I Stephanie, but there are things you need to know."

"There are?" she asked, looking up at him.

Chris sat down tentatively, not knowing where to begin with this. The whole situation was confusing. He wanted to go back and just not sleep with Stephanie. But was that what he really wanted? He wasn't sure that it was. He never regretted that night and he wasn't going to start now.

"Yes, I need to tell you something, about me, about us..........," he trailed off.

"Us? There is no us," Stephanie said, looking down, "There was an us for one night and--"

"But Steph, that night meant something, I mean, we're having a kid."

"I know," she sighed, "It eats me up every day."

"So you'd rather it never happened?" Chris said, a little disappointed.

Stephanie picked up on it and scooted herself down the couch to grasp his hand, "Chris, I don't regret what we did, but we never bargained for the consequences. And it's a little daunting having to go through all of this."

"I know that you're scared Stephanie."

"I'm not just scared, I mean, Hunter, he'll be devastated and then he'd leave me, and I'd be alone."

"Don't think for one second you'd be alone. You'd have me," Chris said confidently.

"Not after Hunter kills you. It's better if we keep this under wraps."

"Stephanie, it's not that easy. I want to be a part of my baby's life," Chris said, meaning that with all of his heart.

Stephanie's eyes watered, "Chris, it's too hard! Why did I get myself into this situation?"

"You didn't. Hunter cheated on you!"

Stephanie flinched when he said that. She didn't want to think about that, she didn't want to ever speak about it again. She and Hunter had moved past that and they were happy now, and that was the past. They had bigger things to deal with now. She had bigger things to deal with.

"Chris, I don't like talking about that," she said quietly.

"Stephanie, I love you," he just said; he couldn't hold it in any longer. It was a burden to carry around and he just didn't want to anymore.

She looked up, the only word to describe her face would be shock. She was in shock, and he didn't blame her. He had not once given her any indication that he loved her. But he did, he did so much and it was tearing him up inside every time he had to see her with Hunter, see him, touching her, and their baby, not his baby. He should be the doting soon-to-be father, not Hunter. Not someone who cheats on the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Chris.........."

"I know, it's so dumb, but I do."

"No, you don't," she said, shaking her head vigorously, "No you don't."

"I do," he nodded.

"No, no," she said, still shaking her head.

"Steph, you have a choice, you don't have to go with Hunter, you don't have to be confused. Stephanie, we can be together. I know you feel something for me. We can raise our baby together."

She sat there stoically as if he were discussing something as mundane as the weather. Her face was blank and Chris couldn't even guess what she was thinking. Anything at this point would be a pleasure, he just didn't like her sitting there, doing nothing. She wished she would say anything; the silence was painful.

"Steph, you're killing me over here," he said, trying to laugh, any way to break the tension.

"You can't expect me to have any kind of reaction to that ten seconds after you say it."

"Well, I mean, anything you want to say is fine."

"No, Chris, it isn't. You can't come in here, break the news to me, and then what do you want me to do, you want me to just run into your arms?"

"No!" he said loudly, "That's not it at all. I'm just telling you that you have choices, you don't have to settle for Hunter if you don't have to. You deserve better."

"I love him Chris!" she cried, "I love him!"

"But he doesn't deserve you!"

"And you do!?!"

"Yes!" he yelled, then took his voice down a level, "Yes, I do Stephanie. Who helped you, who helps you all the time?"

"Who insulted me!?! Who made me feel like nothing!?!"

He took a step back. That was low. She knew that he hadn't been horrible to her in a long time. She knew that he had changed all his opinions on her and had apologized profusely for everything she had called him. It was low of her to bring that up when the situation was a moot point.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry, I guess my unending contrition wasn't enough for you," Chris said, feeling like the scum on the bottom of her shoe, "I guess it was stupid of me to come here and tell you. I'm sorry, forget it ever happened ok? Forget I even came in here."

Chris got up to leave. He didn't need this kind of crap. He had done something that took a lot of courage. He had told a married woman he loved her, and that took a lot of guts to do. But if she was going to dismiss him like he meant nothing to her, well, he was not going to tolerate that.

"Chris," she sighed, "That's not what I want to happen. But I need some time to think about this. I appreciate that you love me, I do."

"You just don't love me back."

"I don't know," she said, "I love my husband."

"Well, that's all you had to say."

"But I didn't sleep with you for nothing, I did have feelings for you, if even for a moment," she said.

"So what does this mean?"

"Give me some time Chris. Just a little bit."


	23. Chapter 23

He had given her time, he had understood what she said and he had given her time. It seemed the safest thing to do, let her think things through, so she could evaluate the entire situation. He knew that he had sprung his love on her unexpectedly and didn't blame her for taking time to think about it. He even gave her space.  
  
She hadn't talked to him in two months.  
  
He hurt, so much more than he ever imagined he could hurt. And the hurt ate him up every day, making him a twinge more bitter, seeing the world in all its hideousness for the first time. She avoided him like he had the plague. She wouldn't even look at him. And it hurt so much to see Hunter and her together.  
  
To see Hunter touching her growing belly, touching Chris's child. Hunter was always touching her, doting over her, fussing over her. Chris wanted to rip him away from her and tell him to get his hands the hell off of HIS baby. But whenever she would see him, she would leave.  
  
She was leaving soon, maternity leave she told everyone. It wasn't safe for her to travel anymore. And while part of that had to be true, Chris also knew part of her just wanted to get away from him. He had come to the realization that she probably didn't love him; that he had been such a fool to even tell her, if he hadn't told her...at least he'd get to be near her.  
  
That's all he wanted, he just wanted to be able to talk to her again. He wanted the pleasure of her company. To see her roll her eyes when he made a crack against Hunter. To hear her laugh at one of his jokes. But now there was only silence between them and it just tore him up inside.  
  
"Why you looking so down?" Lita asked, coming up to sit next to Chris in catering.  
  
"No reason," he said, shaking his head of his thoughts.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"You haven't been yourself for a while now," she told him straight up, "A lot of us have been worried."  
  
"What do you mean I haven't been myself?" he asked curiously. Could everyone really see how transparent he was?  
  
"I don't know, you keep to yourself a lot. You hardly go out with us anymore. And we haven't seen you with Stephanie in the longest time."  
  
"Oh, well, you know, she's busy with the new baby and everything," he said quietly.  
  
"Yeah, but I thought you were going to be Uncle Chris," she said, slugging him in the arm playfully.  
  
"Nah, she's just too busy now, she doesn't need my help," he told her, "I don't think she'd want it anyways, she has Hunter."  
  
"Is this about him? Did he threaten you or something to stay away from her?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"No, I just don't want to intrude on this special time."  
  
"Did you and Stephanie have a fight or something?"  
  
"Kinda," he said, not giving away anything.  
  
"Oh, you poor thing," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder companionably.  
  
"It's ok, I just don't think we were meant to be friends," he shrugged.  
  
Suddenly it all became clear to Lita. Damn, she should've seen it before. The longing glances that he gave to Stephanie when she wasn't looking. The way he would stare at her door, not knocking, then walking away. How down he was all of a sudden, it all made sense now.  
  
"You love her," Lita said softly.  
  
"What?!" Chris exclaimed, spinning his head to look at her.  
  
"You're in love with Stephanie," Lita repeated.  
  
"You're crazy," he said, lying to her.  
  
"No, it all fits. You love her and you're jealous of Hunter. Oh Chris," she said, hugging him.  
  
He sighed and closed his eyes, "I'm deathly jealous."  
  
"Oh sweetie, it'll be ok," she said, stroking his hair.  
  
"It won't Lita, it'll never be ok," Chris said, "I'm in love with a married, pregnant woman. It'll never work out, she doesn't love me back."  
  
"You don't know that," Lita insisted.  
  
"Actually, yeah, I do," he said shortly, getting up from the table.  
  
Lita watched him go, his head down and his hair framing his sullen face. She bit her lip and resisted the urge to go after him. She probably couldn't help him right now. She felt badly for him, it was never fun to love someone when that love never stood a chance. She sighed inwardly and watched him exit the room.  
  
Chris walked down the hallway, going nowhere in particular. He found himself in front of Stephanie and Hunter's door. It was calling out to him, to open it and to talk to her, make her explain what the hell was going on. He was about to knock when he heard giggling and laughter from within. Figuring that she was busy, he walked away slowly.  
  
Lita had followed him, she had bolted after him, wanting to help her friend. She saw him pause in front of Stephanie's door, look down, then raise his fist to knock. He quickly pulled it down and made his escape. Lita couldn't see him like this and marched up to Stephanie's door, knocking loudly.  
  
"Yes?" Hunter said, answering it, "Oh, Lita."  
  
"Can I speak to Stephanie?" Lita asked, giving Hunter a slightly dirty look.  
  
"Steph, Lita wants to talk to you, is that ok?" Hunter said, turning to his wife who was settled on the couch.  
  
"Um, ok," Stephanie replied.  
  
"Come in," Hunter said, taking a step back to allow her entrance.  
  
"Can we be alone?" Lita said, looking pointedly at Hunter.  
  
"It's ok baby," Stephanie said, "We'll be fine."  
  
"Ok," Hunter nodded before leaving.  
  
Lita stood in the middle of the room, looking down at Stephanie, her arms crossed. If she only knew that Chris was in love with her. She wouldn't have to suffer with Hunter. She and Stephanie would've made a great couple. They were perfect for each other.  
  
"So?" Stephanie said, looking up at Lita with a smile, "What did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Actually, it's a who that I wanted to talk about," she told her, sitting down.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Chris."  
  
Stephanie froze as she said his name. She had tried to banish him from her thoughts these past couple months. She had tried to focus on her husband and her baby, not letting thoughts of Chris creep up into her mind. It was easier if she just forgot that he even existed. God, what if Chris had told people about them, and it got back to Hunter, she'd lose him forever.  
  
"Um, what about him?" Stephanie said.  
  
"He's going to kill me for telling you this," she said, running her hand through her hair, "He loves you."  
  
"Oh," she said.  
  
"I know that it's crazy. And I know you're married and pregnant with Hunter's baby, but you deserved to know."  
  
Oh, if only Lita really knew what was going on, "Thanks for telling me, I guess I needed to know."  
  
"Steph, you can do better than Hunter, Chris, he'd be good for you, you'd be good for him."  
  
"Lita, I can't leave my husband," Stephanie said, "I love him and my baby..."  
  
"I know, but I just thought that you might feel like you were trapped with Hunter, and you know there's a lot of great guys out there that you could get with."  
  
"Thank you for thinking of me, but I think I'll be ok."  
  
"Ok," she said, giving Stephanie a hug, "Sorry I burst in here."  
  
"It's ok."  
  
Lita left and Stephanie sat back against the couch settling her hand on her stomach. She was six months pregnant with Chris's baby. She started crying as she thought once again of her predicament. It was hard having to lie every single day about her future. She didn't want to leave Hunter, and she knew that Hunter would leave her in she told him the truth and she couldn't take that, she needed him.  
  
She only had one choice in all of this and it was to live a lie. She had to tell Chris that she couldn't do it. She knew it would hurt him, but she couldn't deal with this and the easiest way out, well, she had to take it.  
  
"Baby, are you ok?" Hunter said, rushing to her side as he saw her in tears.  
  
She wiped her eyes quickly, "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure, is the baby ok?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"I'm fine!" she snapped, then gave him an apologetic look, "Just hormones."  
  
"Oh ok," he chuckled, kissing her temple, "Is little Alexander acting up?"  
  
"Alexander, Hunter, we don't even know if it's a girl or a boy."  
  
"Well, I'm hoping for a boy then," he said kissing her.  
  
"I'm thirsty, I'm gonna go get some water."  
  
"You want me to get it for you?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
She got up and made her leave quickly. She didn't want to look at Hunter right now, it just reminded her of how she kept lying to him. She went down to catering to grab a water bottle, avoiding anyone who she happened upon. Thank God tonight was her last night here and she wouldn't have to run into anyone who wanted to discuss her condition.  
  
She grabbed her water and twisted the cap off, taking a long sip from the bottle. She didn't have to look behind her; she felt his presence. She slowly put the water bottle down and turned around. There he was, across the room, looking at her. They made eye contact for a moment before she started to leave. She could see him getting up and attempting to follow her.  
  
She walked quickly down the hallway, knowing he was right behind her. She tried desperately to lose him, making sharp turns and going in circles, but her extra weight slowed her down until he caught up to her in a deserted hallway and grabbed her arm.  
  
"Steph," he pleaded.  
  
She bit her lip and turned around, "What do you want?"  
  
"You haven't talked to me since, you know, and you're leaving," he said.  
  
"Yeah, so?" she said testily, hoping he would figure out that she didn't want to talk to him.  
  
"I just wanted to talk," he said quietly.  
  
She looked at him. This wasn't the same Chris that she had slept with. God, he looked so sad, she almost couldn't bear it. She had to keep her resolve about her, she had to go through with her plan, if she could only make him hate her again, if only they could go back in time.  
  
"I'm busy," she said, attempting to walk away, but finding him moving to stand in front of her.  
  
"Stephanie, I know you don't love me back ok," he said, laughing bitterly, "I was stupid enough to think you might say it back."  
  
"It wasn't stupid," she said, shaking her head, "Falling in love with someone is never stupid."  
  
"It is when the woman is married."  
  
"Chris, it happens, and with the circumstances, it's hard not to."  
  
"Yeah, the circumstances," he said, eyeing her stomach, "How's the baby?"  
  
Chris looked down at her stomach. That was his baby and he didn't know anything about it, he'd never even gotten to see a picture or anything of it. Hunter got to do all that while he sat back and pretended that nothing had happened.  
  
"Fine, it's fine."  
  
"Um, do you know if it's a boy or girl?" Chris asked, just wondering.  
  
"No, I've decided to let it be a surprise."  
  
"I always thought the name Tristan was cute for a girl," he said randomly.  
  
"It's cute," she said, meaning it too. She and Hunter hadn't really discussed names yet.  
  
"Just wanted to throw that out there," he said, looking down.  
  
"I like it really."  
  
"You're not going to tell Hunter about us are you?" he said, looking back up into her eyes.  
  
Chris wasn't stupid. He knew he wasn't going to get to be a father. Everything he wanted, dreamed of with Stephanie was just a pipe dream. They weren't going to come true. He wouldn't get to raise his child, he knew that now, reality reared its ugly head at him and the truth had slapped him harshly in the face.  
  
"Chris, I just don't--"  
  
"No, I already figured I wouldn't and it's your baby, you can do whatever you want," he said, trying to smile, but failing miserably.  
  
"You're not going to argue with me?" she asked incredulously. What had she done to him?  
  
"No," he responded, "What's the point? You'd end up hating me if Hunter leaves you and then I'd only get to see the baby every once in a while when you decide I get to, and at least this way, he or she will have some sort of family."  
  
Stephanie threw her arms around Chris, "Thank you for understanding."  
  
Chris hugged her back, probably the last time he'd get to hug her. He was letting her and their baby go so to speak. It was better this way, at least this way she didn't hate him, and maybe once in a while he'd get to see his baby, from afar, but hey, it was better than nothing.  
  
"No problem gorgeous."  
  
She pulled away from him and kissed his cheek happily. He tried to remain strong as she stood there, grinning at him. She left moments later declaring that she had to go back to Hunter. The smile on her face was luminous and Chris stared at her back as she left. It was only then that the tears leaked from his eyes.  
  
So this was what it felt like to have your heart ripped out. 


	24. Chapter 24

Chris grabbed a beer from his fridge and took it out back. He sat down in his lawn chair and propped his feet up on the patio table. It was sunrise, but he hadn't been to sleep that night, he hadn't been sleeping well at all these past three months. He kept seeing Stephanie in his dreams, kept replaying the scene where he had let her and their baby go.

This was his fifth, sixth, seventh beer, he had lost count after four. It didn't matter anyways, nothing really did. He would go home, drink himself into a stupor, fall asleep drunk, and that was the only time he'd have dreamless sleep.

He never knew he could feel such pain, he never knew anything could hurt this much. Nobody understood, not even Benoit who knew the whole situation. He kept telling Chris that in the long run he had made the right decision. If it was so right, why did it hurt so bad? It tore him up so much that he felt like he could be shot and would only be numb. He was desensitized to everything and became a mere shell.

He hadn't seen Stephanie since that night. She was at her home in Greenwich with her husband, her loving, doting husband. Chris couldn't stand to look at him anymore and was ecstatic when he was granted a few weeks off to be with Stephanie. He vaguely wondered the time frame for when Stephanie slept with him and when she slept with Hunter. Probably not very long, not enough for that big-nosed idiot to realize he wasn't the father.

She was due soon, he knew that much and that was about it. Lita had gone to the baby shower and told him all about it. Said that Stephanie was happy and glowing and being maternal. Lita had laughed and said she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. Chris could believe it, Stephanie would make a great mother.

He stared out into the horizon where the sun was just beginning to show, making the sky a mixture of deep purples and reds. If you would've asked him nine months ago, he would've thought it was beautiful, but now, now it just signified a new day of fighting off the bad feelings that threatened to consume him.

He took a long swig of beer, reveling in the way it slid down his throat. He yawned and stood up, intending to get some shut eye. As he was about to go inside, a sharp pain ripped through his stomach. His hand went instinctively to his abdomen and a moment later the pain was gone. Well that was odd, he thought as he walked inside his house.

Stephanie shot out of bed. The pain was overwhelming, waking her from her deep slumber. She moaned softly at the pain and reached out to shake her husband, but then remembered that he wasn't here. He was in Europe with half the roster, doing shows in England. She groaned and reached out, feeling around for the phone and dialing her parent's house.

"Hello?" came her mother's groggy voice.

"Mommy," Stephanie moaned.

"Stephanie, what's the matter?" Linda asked urgently.

"I think I'm in labor."

"Ok sweetie don't panic, alright, I'll be over there soon."

"Ok."

Stephanie hung up and laid back down, breathing deeply and waiting for another contraction. Moments later it came and she moaned loudly, wishing she weren't alone. She kept taking deep breaths, waiting for it to pass. It finally did and she couldn't believe that her baby was really on the way.

Her mother arrived shortly and rushed upstairs to aid Stephanie. She got out of bed slowly and her mother helped her get down the stairs and out to her car. Stephanie had a few contractions between her house and the hospital and she felt the pain intensifying. Finally they arrived at the hospital where Stephanie was admitted and taken up to a private room.

"Sweetie, did you call Hunter?" Linda asked as she sat by her bedside.

"Oh no, I forgot!" Stephanie cried out.

"It's ok, I'll go do that for you ok?" Linda said kindly, "Of all the times to go into labor, when Hunter is gone. That's what happens when you're a couple weeks early."

Stephanie laughed, even though she knew that she was actually due now, and not a couple weeks from now. Her mother left the room and she took a sigh of relief. She laid back and just tried to rest, knowing she was in for some definite work later on.

Chris stared at the ceiling, willing sleep to come to him. Seemed tonight was going to be difficult for him to fall asleep. He turned on his side, trying to get in a comfortable position so sleep would overtake him. He closed his eyes and finally sleep came to him, blissful, dreamless sleep.

Stephanie moaned and rubbed her stomach as her mother counted out how long she had to breathe for. Hunter had been called and he was absolutely livid with himself for not being there to be with his wife. He said that he was catching the absolute first plane he could get, but Stephanie wasn't sure she could hold out long enough for him to get here.

"Mommy, it hurts so bad," Stephanie said as the contraction passed.

"I know sweetie," Linda said, brushing her daughter's hair back, since it was sticking to her face with sweat.

The doctor came in to check on her progress and told her that she was moving along quite nicely, but that she was still a bit away from giving birth. Stephanie didn't think she could wait any longer, the pain was so great and she didn't have anyone but her mother here to comfort her.

"Sweetie, I'm going to go get you some ice chips ok, the doctor said you could have some."

"Ok," Stephanie breathed.

She laid back against the pillows, feeling all kinds of uncomfortable in this bed. She had machines hooked up to her and she was hot with the stupid blanket on. She was trying to adjust herself when she felt another contraction hit and this one was bad.

"Chris," she moaned out, not knowing where that came from.

Her mind conjured up his face, and she vaguely wondered what he would be doing if he were here. She honestly didn't know. She had been happy when he said he would gladly step back and let Hunter be the father, but she knew that it was hurting him. She wondered if maybe he'd like to know what was going on. She was about to pick up the phone when her mother came back in with her ice chips.

"Here you go," Linda said, handing her the cup.

"Thanks," Stephanie said, taking it graciously and eating a few. It was so refreshing and cold. It definitely cooled her down a bit.

"Were you going to call someone?" her mother asked, having seen Stephanie's hand poised above the telephone.

"I was going to see how Hunter was doing getting here," Stephanie lied, now she had to figure out a way to get her mother out of here so she could call Chris, "Mom, did you call Hunter's parents? They might like to know I'm in labor."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Linda said, "I'll make the call outside so I don't disturb you."

"Ok, thanks," Stephanie said as another contraction wracked her body.

She waited until it was over before picking up the phone and dialing Chris's home number. Chris had been sleeping peacefully when the incessant ringing of the telephone interrupted him. At first thinking it was the alarm he slapped at it, but the noise didn't stop. Finally gaining his bearings, he grabbed the receiver and brought it up to his mouth.

"Who the hell is calling me this early?" he growled into the phone, annoyed at being woken up.

"Chris, it's Stephanie."

Chris sat up in bed. What was she doing calling him? Maybe something was the matter. He knew that Hunter was in Europe doing overseas stuff for the company. He felt his heart pounding a little.

"What's wrong Steph?"

"I'm in labor."

"Oh," he said, relief flooding through him when he found out that she was ok.

"I thought you might like to know."

"Why?" he asked bitterly.

She sighed over the phone, "Because you did help me make this child and I thought that you might want to know when it was being born."

"So you thought you'd do the right thing and at least call me right? Well congratulations Stephanie, you did your one good deed for the day," he said sarcastically.

"Chris, I just thought you might like to know," she said softly.

"Why Stephanie? So I can sit here and think about how much I'd like to be there? So I can picture Hunter getting to hold my baby while I will never get to hold them? So I can be there and remember that I get nothing, that I AM nothing? No thank you Stephanie," he said, tears coming to his eyes. 

"Chris, I'm so sorry!" she cried out, then groaned as another contraction hit her.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it Princess," Chris said, not knowing what was going on at the other end of the line, "Let's just end this pretense now ok, we're nothing, we're not friends, we're just people who work for the same company."

Stephanie breathed out, waiting for the pain to pass, "Chris...........I.............need.............you."

"Don't lie to me Stephanie, just forget we ever became friends. If you'd rather live out your life with an adulterer, than go right ahead," he said, wanting to just end this conversation, every second that passed, he wanted to be there just that much more.

"Chris, please," she said, "I'm just, please don't do this, not while I'm having our baby."

"My baby? I don't have a baby, goodbye Stephanie," Chris said hanging up.

Stephanie stared at the phone in disbelief. Chris had just hung up on her. She was sure that he would feel something since she was giving birth to their baby, but all he had been was upset. She put the phone back down and couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying exactly. Maybe because of what she had done to Chris. She knew that she had broken his heart.

"Sweetie, are you ok?" Linda said, coming in and seeing Stephanie in tears.

"No, I want this over with," Stephanie said, wiping her eyes, "I just want it all done with."

Linda didn't know what she was referring to, thinking she was talking about the act of being in labor. That was so not the case, Stephanie thought. She just wanted to go back, to not make the same mistake over again. She was on the brink of ruining four different lives, with one single lie. Either way, someone was going to get hurt, and it scared her to think about it.

"It'll be ok, the doctor said that you're doing great. And I called your father and he said Hunter is already on his way here, so he'll probably be here for the birth."

Stephanie tried to smile, but more pain was wracking her body. She put a hand on her stomach trying to deal with the pain. She wanted Hunter, she did, but part of her wanted Chris as well. But she could never tell anyone that, she could never say why she wanted him here.

Chris was sitting up in bed, his knees drawn up to his chin. After getting off the phone with Stephanie he had been sitting there, not doing anything but staring out into space. She had said she needed him. Yeah, needed him, how dare she say something like that. She didn't need him, all she had ever done was use him. How could he have been so foolish as to think that Stephanie had changed? She only wanted him when there was something to gain.

So his baby was being born, and he wouldn't get to be there. It hurt, but if he kept himself detached from the situation, if he thought it was happening to someone else, it eased the pain a little. He just had to not picture himself not getting to be the first one to hold his baby, or getting to hear it's crying or get to see their eyes open for the first time. If he just stopped thinking about those things, maybe that dull ache in his heart would subside.

It was hours later and the doctors said she was close. Finally was the only word that ran through her mind. She felt like she had been there for days. She wanted this kid out of her, right now she was ready to just push with all her might. She laid back down after a exceptionally painful contraction hit. The doctor had said she only had a centimeter to go, then she could push, thank God.

"I'm here!" Hunter said, running into the room.

"Oh Hunter!" she cried out, thankful to see a fresh face.

"Yes! I'm not too late," he said, rubbing her stomach.

"No, I'm almost there though. I'm so glad you could make it," she said, opening up her arms for a hug.

He kissed her, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here."

"It's ok, you're here now and you didn't miss the important part, just the part where I'm uncomfortable."

He laughed, "I'm sure you've been doing great."

"I wouldn't say that," she told him, cringing with another contraction. He held her hand and talked her through it.

The doctor came in shortly after and checked on her. He smiled and said that it was time. She gave a sigh in relief as they propped her up and told her to push. She thought of nothing but pushing that baby out as she gritted her teeth and push. She let out a low wail as pain like never before rushed through her. She tried not to lose focus and could hear Hunter encouraging her from her side.

She took a breath and relaxed a little as the doctor told her how good a push that was. She smiled weakly at Hunter who gave her a supportive smile, kissing her sweat-drenched forehead. The doctor told her a couple more pushes and she'd be done. She nodded shortly before pushing again. Again she focused on nothing else but pushing that baby out of her.

She rested one more time, trying to gather up all her strength. It was difficult, but she managed to muster up enough strength to push one last time. She focused on the pushing and Chris's face appeared in her head, smiling at her like he used to and she gave one last heave and could feel a rush as she heard a crying enter the room.

"Congratulations it's a girl," the doctor told her.

She smiled faintly, seeing a squirming little thing being picked up. She laid back as she just took everything in at once. Hunter smiled at her and kissed her forehead. She was in a daze until they placed a little bundle into her arms. She was a little hazy and it took her a moment to realize this was her little girl. She couldn't believe that she was actually here.

"God, she's gorgeous," Hunter said.

"Mmhmm," she mumbled.

They took the baby then to get cleaned up and checked over as they fixed up Stephanie. She laid back as Hunter wiped her forehead with a washcloth. She smiled gratefully at him as she closed her eyes, dozing off.

Chris looked at the clock, wondering if Stephanie had already given birth. He laughed to himself, he shouldn't be this nervous, but he was. He wondered if Hunter had made it on time, if everything had gone according to schedule. Questions that were going to be left unanswered. So be it, he told himself as he went to get himself a beer. He grabbed one and took the top off.

Raising his beer he spoke to his empty house he said cynically, "Congratulations Chris, you're a father."

Stephanie woke up, still feeling tired beyond belief, but also like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She saw her room was empty and wondered where everyone could be. Probably off looking at the baby. Hunter showed up a few minutes later and smiled at her, coming over to kiss her softly.

"You did great," he complimented her.

"Thanks," she said airily, "Where's the baby?"

"In the nursery. Our parents are just staring at her."

She laughed, "Can I see her?"

"Let me go get a nurse to bring her up. I haven't gotten to hold her yet, I thought you should be the first," he said, grinning.

She smiled as he left the room. She couldn't wait to meet her little girl. She tried to fix her hair and then laughed, nobody would care if she looked a bit messy today. Hunter came back inside with a nurse wheeling her baby into the room. She rolled the carrier next to Stephanie's bed and gently handed her the baby.

Stephanie got the first good look at her baby. She was absolutely gorgeous, she already had some dark hair on her little head. It was lighter than Stephanie's, but still pretty dark. Hunter came and sat next to her, but she was so enamored by her daughter, she didn't notice.

The baby opened her eyes and Stephanie found herself looking into a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The little girl had Chris's eyes, she quickly deduced. Lucky for her Stephanie had blue eyes so it seemed normal, but she didn't have blue eyes like these, so clear, like the ocean. She also had Chris's mouth. She smiled a little.

"She needs a name," Hunter commented.

Stephanie looked down at the little girl. She had been a mistake, she was the product of a moment of need, of comfort, but she loved this baby like she had loved nothing else. She silently thanked Chris for giving her this little girl. Maybe she could do one thing for him.

"I've always liked the name Tristan."


	25. Chapter 25

"Chris you look like shit."

He looked up, "Thanks."

"What the hell did you do all night, drink?" Matt said.

"Yeah, pretty much," he mumbled, putting his head down.

"Well no wonder you look like death warmed over," Lita said.

"You guys, can I just be alone, please."

"Ok, fine," Matt said, grabbing Lita's hand and dragging her out of the room.

Chris was still feeling the affects of the beers he had had last night. That seemed to be his only comfort nowadays and the only way he could get to sleep. It had been six days since Stephanie had called and told him that she was giving birth. Six whole days, and he was still on a drinking binge.

And tonight, well tonight was going to be torture. Word had it that since the show was in Connecticut that the Helmsley family would be paying a visit. That was just what he needed to see, the both of them on top of the world, acting like they were the best. He didn't know if he could take it.

But there was another part that anxiously awaited their arrival, for one reason and one reason only. He'd get to see his baby. He still didn't know if it was a girl or a boy. It was so sad, it almost brought him to tears. Didn't even know anything about his kid. It didn't get any worse than that. He got up and went back to his locker room, wanting to lie down.

Stephanie put her daughter into the carriage. She smiled down at her and pulled the blanket over her tiny body. Six days and she was doing pretty well with this whole mother thing. She pushed the carriage to the arena entrance and walked inside. She wanted to show Tristan off to everyone.

She was a little tired from lack of sleep since Tristan cried at all hours of the night, but overall she loved having a baby. Something of her very own. And Tristan was simply a doll. She wasn't too fussy or anything. She definitely thought her baby was the best baby in the entire world. Not to mention how beautiful the child was. Only Stephanie could tell, but she was the perfect mixture of her and Chris.

She walked down the hallway and everyone was cooing and awing as they looked at the newborn. Tristan just slept through the whole thing thankfully. But she knew tonight was not going to be all fun and games, there was something she needed to do and it was going to be important and hard.

Chris was laying on the couch in his room with his arm over his eyes, trying to keep as much of the fluorescent light out of his eyes. He just wanted to sleep forever. He was so tired, his body screaming for rest. He was on the verge of dozing when he heard lots of screaming and baby talking outside his locker room. That could only mean one thing. Stephanie had arrived.

His child was mere yards away from him. He resisted the urge to get up and go outside and join the probably growing crowd. Now that the time had come, he didn't want to see the baby. He didn't want to see it at all. That would be no good because once he saw them once, he'd never be able to let go.

Stephanie finally got to her and Hunter's dressing room. She walked inside and saw that her parents were waiting in there, ready to spoil their grandchild. By this time Tristan was awake and Linda took her from the carriage, smiling and fussing over the baby.

"How's she been sleeping?"

"Pretty good, she keeps me up, but it's not too bad."

"And her feeding?"

"Oh, she loves to eat, she's a greedy little one," Stephanie laughed.

"You should see her though," Hunter said, "She's just the most adorable baby in the world."

"You're biased," Stephanie joked.

"Yeah, but it's true nonetheless."

Stephanie stood up, "If you guys have her, I wanted to go visit with some people."

"Oh, did you want to take her with you?" her father asked.

"Oh, that's ok, you guys can visit with her," she said.

"You want me to come babe?" Hunter asked.

"Nah, it'll be boring for you," she said, grabbing her bag and walking out.

She took a deep breath and walked down to the locker room she had passed earlier. She got up to Chris's door and knocked softly. She heard him groan from behind the door and she waited a few moments until he opened the door. The look of surprise on his face did not escape her.

"Hi," she said timidly.

Chris wanted to slam the door in her face, but fought the urge, "What do you want?"

"I needed to talk to you," she said, "Did you maybe want to go outside, get some fresh air?"

"Sure, whatever," he said.

He exited the room and they walked silently down the hallway to the exit. He graciously held the door open for her and she stepped outside, him right behind her. She stood there and he stood leaning against the building his arms folded.

"So what do you need?" he said.

"Don't you want to know about the baby?"

"No, not really," he said nonchalantly, going against everything in him.

"Oh," she said, looking down, "I thought you might like to know."

"I really don't," he asserted.

"Ok, if that's what you want," she told him.

"It is," he said, biting the inside of his mouth, anything to get rid of the pain he was feeling.

"I, um, I have some papers you needed to sign," she told him.

"What kind of papers?"

"Like legal papers," she said, embarrassed a bit.

Chris looked at her strangely, "What are you doing? Suing me?"

"No, these are papers to sign away any parental rights you may have," she said.

Chris looked at her and felt his stomach drop. God, wasn't it enough that he said he'd give up his child? She was actually going to make him sign some damn papers giving up every right he had. She couldn't even look at him and he steeled himself, feeling the tears stinging his eyes, but not letting them go any further.

"Isn't it enough that I told you I wouldn't be involved?" he said angrily.

"I just need to make sure that you won't do anything to take my baby away from me!" she cried.

"Who said I would?"

"I just need to be certain."

"I thought you would put Hunter's name on the birth certificate," he said to her.

"It isn't, we haven't officially filled one out yet, that's another thing I have to have you do. I want you to be on the birth certificate."

"Oh, well thanks," he said sardonically, "So where are the papers, let's get this over with."

She nodded mutely and went through her bag. She pulled out a few papers and looked at them, making sure they were in order. Seeing that they were in order she handed them to him and he grabbed them away quickly.

"That first one is the birth certificate, Hunter won't see it and the rest are the legal papers, just sign where the tabs are."

"Whatever," he said as he took the pen she handed him.

He looked at the birth certificate, careful not to look at any of the baby's information. He just couldn't put himself through that kind of torture. He put his signature quickly and handed it back to her. He took a closer look at the documents, wondering if he should have a lawyer present, but Stephanie was on the up and up so he signed them. Might as well, he had already lost everything there was to lose. He gave them back to her and she smiled thankfully.

"Thank you," she said.

"Least I can do right," he shrugged.

"I appreciate........everything you've done for me."

"Whatever," he said, going to walk back inside, anything to get away from Stephanie.

"Chris, you won't tell Hunter about anything will you?"

That was it. He couldn't take this lying down anymore. Who the hell did she think she was? Who gave her permission to treat him like this? Hadn't he told her a million times already what he was willing to do. He whirled around to look at her, a fire in his eyes.

"God Stephanie, do you want anything else from me? Seriously, how about my kidney or something? Do you want that, cause you might as well take it!"

"Chris--"

"What more can I possibly give you Stephanie, what more could I possibly give you that you haven't already taken from me!?!" he yelled, tears of anger coming to his eyes.

"I didn't mean to get you upset--"

"You took my friendship and used me! You took my love and you threw it back in my face! You took my child away from me without me ever getting a chance to be a father! And now you want me to give you my word! God Stephanie, what more can you possibly take from me that I haven't already given you?"

Stephanie took a step back, tears coming to her own eyes. She had never realized how much she had hurt him, or how much she had taken from him. She reached out to him, but he stepped back angrily, shaking his head like he didn't want her to touch him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Just go Stephanie," he said, feeling the fight drain from him, "Take the papers and go."

"Chris--"

"Just go," he said.

She nodded quickly and went back inside. She wiped her eyes as she went back to her locker room, then remembered she had to sit in on the production meeting. She swung a right and went to her father's conference room for the evening.

Chris walked back inside once his tears had subsided. He felt like he had just signed his soul away. He was walking down the hallway and past Stephanie's locker room. He wondered if she was celebrating. He was about to keep walking when the door opened.

"Chris, oh, I'm so glad to see you," Hunter said.

Chris turned to him and wanted to kill the man. If only this man hadn't cheated on his wife, all of this could've been avoided. But no, Hunter couldn't keep his dick in his pants. He resisted the urge to attack the man and just tried to participate in this conversation.

"Yeah?"

"I have to go out and film a promo soon and Stephanie is in a meeting and we don't have anyone to watch the baby."

"So?" Chris shrugged.

"Would you mind babysitting for a little while?" he asked urgently.

"I don't think that's the best idea," Chris said.

"Dude, please," Hunter begged.

Chris tried to say no, he opened his mouth to say no, but it couldn't come out. His heart was screaming, wanting to see his baby. He wanted so much to hold them, to just look at them. But it would be too hard to pull away once he had to leave his mind kept saying. Before he could think it through he had nodded his head.

"Thank you SO much," Hunter said gratefully.

Chris couldn't believe he had agreed. Was he stupid or something? He didn't know anymore. He didn't know anything anymore, just that he was following Hunter inside the locker room. He saw a baby carrier on the couch and tried his best to not look at it, if he just didn't look at his baby, then he couldn't get attached.

"She's sleeping right now, so basically you just have to sit here."

She. He had a little girl. Chris sighed, "Ok."

"If she wakes up, you can just pick her up and hold her, she doesn't mind new people."

Chris was about to say he wasn't new people, but didn't, "Ok."

"Thanks so much for this," Hunter said, about to rush out but then stopped, "Oh, and her name's Tristan."

Chris was floored. Her name was Tristan, "Interesting name, where's it from?"

"Steph thought it up," Hunter shrugged then left.

He sat down heavily on one of the plush leather chairs. Stephanie had actually named their daughter with the name he had suggested. That was the last thing he'd ever think she'd do. Well, at least she had a heart for one moment.

It was that moment that Tristan decided to make her presence known.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I love to receive them. :) This chapter is based around the song "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls.

**To read the original version with song lyrics go to: bitter-solemnity. com /fics /ALU.php (just get rid of the spaces).

* * *

**

Chris looked over at the carrier, of which he could only see the back of. Tristan had started crying. He knew what he had to do, but he was absolutely terrified of it. He didn't think he was capable of holding her and keeping it together. But he couldn't just let her lay there crying.

He slowly ascended from his spot on the couch and looked at the baby carrier. Her high-pitched cries kept coming, though he was silently willing her to stop so that he could sit back down and not have to look at her. They didn't seem to stop, but only get louder as the seconds passed. He didn't want to see her, he closed his eyes, giving up a silent prayer for God to give him strength.

He walked over slowly, his gaze fixed on the wall behind the couch she was sitting on.

He reached the couch and looked down. There she was and involuntarily a smile came to his face. God, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life. He felt tears brimming in his eyes as he gazed down at her, enraptured. He couldn't take his eyes off her, couldn't even remember when he had seen anything so tiny and small.

Her little face was contorted in screaming and he sat down next to her. He reached out to touch her, but then drew back momentarily. Could he really go through with this? Maybe he could call someone else to come in here and comfort her? He didn't think he could hold her, just being able to look at her and knowing she wasn't his was torture, but to actually hold the little girl in his arms, it was something he wanted, something he craved. But he just couldn't do it, for fear that the moment would swallow him up.

He slowly reached out and took her out of her carrier, being careful to support her little head. He smiled down as he held her in his strong arms. He could die right now and be perfectly content he realized, just holding his little girl it was something else entirely. His soul felt filled with love and adoration for this little thing.

He rocked her gently and soon her tears subsided and she looked up at him, probably wondering who this new person was. Her big blue eyes wide as she stared up at him. Chris looked down and gave her a soft smile, continuing to rock her back and forth. She yawned and he laughed, despite himself.

He could see his features in her face. She had his eyes, he could tell that straight away. And she had his mouth. He was glad that she at least had some of his features, a little reminder that he was the father, proof it seemed, it was like, it didn't seem real until the moment he got to hold her in his arms.

He did have a daughter. Those papers he had signed earlier may prove that legally this tiny little thing wasn't his, but in his heart, he knew, this little girl was as much his as she was Stephanie's. Seeing that she looked a little like him made it final, she was his and she always would be, despite anything or anyone who came in their way.

"Hey there," he said softly.

She looked up at him and blinked.

"You're the most beautiful baby I've ever seen in my entire life," he whispered.

She yawned again and reached her little hand out. Chris held his free hand over her and she reached out to grab his finger. He smiled as she grabbed onto it. She already had a firm grip, she could use that to become a good grappler someday. Look at him, already trying to plan her future.

"Yes you are, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," he cooed.

She gurgled in response. God, how could he have signed away this little girl? It was ten times harder now thinking about what he had done earlier. If he had known that this was what he was giving up, he never would've signed those papers, but what's done is done. He couldn't change it, she had his signature and that was that, he couldn't go back now.

This was probably going to be the only time he ever got to hold her, he realized. Maybe God had given him this moment for a reason. Maybe this was to be his swan song. A moment where he would get to just be with her. He was afforded one moment in time to be with his little girl, and he had to savor it before it disappeared.

He thought of all the things he wanted to tell her, all the things she needed to know. There was so much and he didn't have a lot of time. He wanted to tell her all about himself, how much he loved her, how much he had loved her every moment since he had found out about her, even though it was only a love from afar.

She let go of his finger and he looked down at her face again. It was so angelic, his little angel. He felt like he had made a difference in the world. He had given the world this perfect little thing, and if he died tomorrow, he would've had a purpose, if only to help bring this beautiful girl into the world.

"Hey Tristan," he started.

"I'm Chris, Chris Jericho to be exact. And I guess I'm your Daddy. Now, you're not going to know me as that, but that's who I am. There's so much I want to tell you, so much that you need to know."

She sneezed.

"Bless you baby," he laughed.

She just scrunched up her nose in response. He rocked her a little more before leaning back on the couch.

"Hunter is going to be your Daddy. He'll be good to you, I know he will, as much as it pains me to say, but always remember that I am your only real Daddy."

He sighed to himself.

"I don't even know where to begin."

"I want you to know that you have always been loved, no matter what. I loved your mommy. And I don't regret a moment that I spent with her," he told her, "When we made you, I didn't realize it yet, but I loved her. I loved her and I just wanted to comfort her and let her know that someone in this world would take care of her when she needed taking care of."

She looked up at him. He stared off wistfully, thinking about Stephanie.

"I still love her," he said quietly, "I still love her and that hurts because I know she doesn't love me back. I can get over her Tristan, but she gave me you, and that will make me love her forever."

He stared down at her. It was true, he didn't know if he'd love Stephanie forever, but looking down at his daughter, he realized he could never hate Stephanie, no matter how much anguish and heartache she brought into his life. He felt tears hitting his lips, the saltiness hitting his lips. He was crying over so many things. Losing Stephanie, losing his little girl, losing so many things in the span of such a short time.

"You know, I don't even know how I fell for her. I got locked in a room with her, you know that," he said, "Some stupid little plot by Daddy's friends. It worked...perhaps too well. I never hated Stephanie, I just, I didn't like Hunter, and I still don't."

His life felt like a soap opera. Here he was, with a little girl by getting a married woman pregnant. All because said married woman had been cheated on by her husband, with the local mattress. Then here he was, with his daughter in his arms, his daughter that he had just signed away. He looked down at her again and ran his finger down the bridge of her nose. She scrunched her nose, and he swore that he could see Stephanie all over her face. This one was going to be a charmer.

"Don't go breaking hearts now Tristan, it can get you into some seriously trouble," he said quietly.

He sat there, just staring down at her, wondering when someone was going to relieve him of his duties. Not only relieve him of his baby-sitting duties, but of his fatherly duties as well. It wasn't helping that he was picturing a room in his house for her. A cute little nursery, with not too much pink, but just enough, that would be perfect. He could picture his house littered with stuffed animals and toys and he wanted nothing more than to have his house be a mess. But he was going to end up alone, an empty house to reflect the emptiness in his heart.

Tristan cooed and he smiled longingly at her. She would spend her nights away from him, he wouldn't get to wake up to her screaming, he wouldn't get to play with her, or hold her, or do any of the Dad things with her. He'd have to watch her grow up from afar, never being the Dad, just being the watcher. He resigned himself to being in the background, the guy everyone forgot about, but who was always there, silently observing, wishing that he was the one who got to enjoy all the benefits. Hunter was taking his place, he would get the things Chris could only dream of.

He would get to see her grow up, he would get to do things with her, spoil her. Chris, he would slowly fade from her life, until there was nothing left, until he became nothing but a mere point on the horizon of her life. He gave her life, but he wouldn't get to give her anything else.

He realized he was shaking. Shaking from the magnitude of the situation. She looked up at him curiously and he stared at her. Trying to memorize that face, trying to soak up everything he could about her, to take to his grave, to take to that deep part of his brain where she would forever remain. He would die without knowing her, and if he could take her picture in his head, someday, when it was all over, he would see this face and think about her, knowing that she had always been on his mind.

"I will always be with you," he told her, "And you will always be with me. You won't know it, maybe you won't ever know it, but I will. If you ever feel alone, you aren't, because I will always love you. And if you ever need me, I will be there, maybe not physically, but in spirit, I will always be there."

He thought about the future and everything he'd miss. Sure, as long as he was with the company, he could see her every once in a while, when Stephanie brought her, but certainly not on a regular basis. Then he would eventually retire and he'd fade out of the picture. He'd miss her first steps, her first word, so many firsts he'd miss, hell, he'd already missed her birth.

"You'll see me around every now and then, but I don't think your Mommy will want me around you too much, she probably thinks I'll try and kidnap you or something," he snorted, "But eventually you won't come around, and eventually I'll retire. I just want you to have a beautiful life Tristan. That's all I want. I want you to be happy, and never have to go through anything your Mommy went through. I hope that every day of your life has a little sunshine in it. I hope that you find someone you love as much as I loved your Mommy. And even though I won't be there for any of that, know that I'll be thinking of you, and wishing I were there. And hey, maybe if you look around, I will be there, you never know kiddo."

He looked down at her and saw that she had fallen asleep. He didn't think it was possible, but she was even more beautiful when she was asleep. He smiled lopsidedly as he put her gently back into her carrier. He adjusted her little hat and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Daddy loves you Tristan."


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Wow, thank you guys SO much for all the great reviews I got for the last chapter. I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed it and the response was really overwhelming. I hope that you continue to enjoy the story. Thanks again. :)

* * *

Chris didn't know how long he had sat there, watching her sleep, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Hunter finally came back and opened the door, giving Chris a grateful look for sitting here with the little girl. Chris stood up and looked down at Tristan again as Hunter walked over.

"Did she give you any trouble?" Hunter asked.

"No, none at all," Chris said, "She started crying, but other than that, no trouble at all."

"Good, I would hate it if you had to deal with a fussy baby," Hunter told him.

"Yeah........."

"Thanks again for watching her, I mean, usually Stephanie or I would be here, but she's in her little production meeting planning for the future."

"Oh, well, glad I could help."

"Well, I mean, you're Stephanie's best friend, I thought that you would be the best person for the job."

Stephanie's best friend, what a crock that was. He wasn't her best friend, and he had no intention of ever holding that title again. She wasn't someone he wanted to be around anymore. Once you have your heart torn out, it's hard to turn around and be cordial to that person.

"I wouldn't call myself Stephanie's best friend," he said simply.

"Oh, well, I don't know, you helped her through our..........rough spot," he said, "I never got to thank you for that."

"You shouldn't have to, I was there, I helped her, no big deal."

"It is to her," he said, looking over at him, "She told me how much you mean to her."

Chris looked over at him, intrigued, "How much I mean to her?"

"Yeah, she doesn't have a lot of friends. I guess that's my fault, but yeah, I guess she really trusts and cares about you."

"That's good to know," he deadpanned.

He was hating this conversation. If Hunter knew exactly how close they had become, he'd never say any of these things. If he knew that earlier that night Stephanie had single-handedly broken his heart, he wouldn't even dare utter these words. Chris didn't want to hear it, they were just lies anyways.

Hunter leaned down to pick up Tristan, who had just opened her eyes. He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead softly. Chris wanted to rip her from his arms. He didn't deserve her; she wasn't his. That was HIS daughter, not Hunter's, but Hunter just rocked her in his arms and Chris knew he had to leave right then or he'd break down.

"I'm going to head out," Chris told him, "See ya."

"Bye Chris, thanks again."

Chris walked out of there, and finally felt like he could breathe. He had been stifled, stifled by that scene that made him want to throw up. He was done for the evening, having performed before Stephanie had come to him with the papers, so he just wanted to go back to his hotel room and drink. Drinking made him forget, and forgetting was just what he needed right now.

He walked down the hallway on his way back to his locker room and Stephanie passed him. He stared right through her and didn't give her a second glance as he brushed past her. She looked back at him a moment, sensing his troubles, but knowing that she couldn't do anything to help him. She had hurt him, and he wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

She walked back to her locker room and walked inside to see Hunter feeding Tristan a bottle. She watched with a smile, feeling bad for interrupting their moment together. He looked up at her and smiled, and she remembered why she had asked Chris to sign those papers. She smiled back and went to sit down next to him.

"How's my little girl?" she asked.

"She was hungry and Mommy was nowhere to be found," Hunter said, pouting comically.

"I'm sorry Trist," she said, holding Tristan's little hand in her own, "Didn't you just have a promo?"

"Yeah, I did," he said as he watched Tristan drink her bottle.

"Did you leave Tristan here by herself!!?!" Stephanie asked, alarmed by the idea.

"Stephanie, what do you take me for?" he asked her, "Do you really think I'd leave my week-old daughter alone."

"No," she said hesitantly, "So who was watching her?"

"I asked Chris too."

Stephanie's breath caught in her throat. Chris had been in here, watching their daughter. That must've been why he looked so hurt when she had seen him walking down the hallway. She was kind of bummed that she hadn't been here to see him when he first saw Tristan. But why did she feel that way exactly? She had gotten Chris to sign away his little girl earlier, she should want him nowhere near her daughter.

"Oh, that's nice of him to watch her."

"I figured since you two were friends it would be appropriate."

She shook her head, "We're not friends anymore."

"Huh?"

She thought about him. There was no way that he would want to be her friend anymore. She had hurt him, she knew that. She could lie and say she hadn't but it was the truth. She was the guilty party in this one. Not only that, but there was no way he'd be her friend when he would see their daughter being raised by Hunter.

"We're just not friends," she told him.

"I thought you guys were best friends."

"No," she said quietly, "I just get the feeling that he doesn't like me too much."

"What happened?"

She looked at him, "It's nothing really. I just think that we weren't meant to be friends. It wasn't in the cards."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Yeah. It is."

Chris walked into his hotel room and pictured the six-pack of beer he had put in the mini-fridge that morning. He went over to the fridge and pulled the door open, grabbing the beer and heading over to his bed. He collapsed onto it and grabbed the first of what he knew would be many beers. He needed them now more than ever, they helped him forget and that's what he needed right now, to forget.

He thought about Tristan and how gorgeous she was. He chugged at his beer trying to forget that very image. If he kept picturing her, he might do something crazy. He just wanted his baby, was that too much to ask? He just wanted to hold her in his arms forever. God, he needed to get over this and he needed to get over this fast. Because he knew he was in for months, and probably years of torture before he would retire.

Not much later, beer cans littered the floor of his hotel room. Chris was happily drunk and couldn't even remember his own name. He stumbled off the bed and to his suitcase, grabbing a pair of pajama pants. He struggled to get them on, at first forgetting to take off his jeans. He fell on the floor twice before managing to get them on. He crawled back over to the bed and climbed in, exhausted from the night's events. Just as he was about to pass out in sleep, the phone rang.

He grabbed for it blindly and mumbled incoherently, "Bshodifwuosjd"

"Chris?" came a soft voice.

"Hey, yeah, that's my name!"

"Chris, are you drunk?" Stephanie asked.

"Me? Nah," he said, slurring his words.

"You are," she said, "I just wanted to call and thank you."

"For what? For sleeping with you? That was all my pleasure," he said, not even knowing what he was saying.

"Um, no, not for that," she said, "Not much anyways. I just wanted to thank for you for watching Tristan tonight."

"Who's Tristan?" he asked, scratching his head, not recognizing the name.

"Um, my daughter," Stephanie said, wondering just how much Chris had had to drink.

"Oh yeah, small person, wearing pink, I remember now," he said, chuckling to himself, "Wait, isn't she my kid too?"

"Chris," she sighed.

"Oh wait, no, she's not mine," he said, shaking his head, "She's yours, stupid me, didn't know, ha."

"Ok, Chris, I just wanted to call and thank you for watching her, but seeing as how you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk," he laughed, "You miscon...........misdun...........misund.........you got it all wrong."

"Chris, why are you drinking?"

"Oh, there was a reason. I remember there was a reason. Well, what do you know, I completely forgot the reason."

"Chris, why don't you try and get some sleep."

"Don't feel sorry for me!" he yelled into the phone.

"I'm not, I'm just worried that you're not getting enough sleep."

"I get plenty of sleep. All I do is sleep........and drink beer. Those are my two favorite things to do, drink and sleep."

"You love to wrestle," she said.

"Yeah, I did, but look where that got me," he said, suddenly serious, "It got me to you, God, Stephanie, it got me you."

"I'm sorry Chris," she said, knowing he wouldn't remember any of this come daylight.

"No you're not. You got the good end of the deal, you got the baby, I got nothing."

"Chris you said that you were ok with taking a step back."

"I lied!" he yelled exasperated, "I lied about it all! Did you think I wanted to give you and her up, no of course not! But what could I do Stephanie? Tell me what I could've done."

"Nothing Chris," she admitted, "There was nothing you could've done."

"Why'd you go back to him Stephanie? Why? You were so close to getting away from him?"

She sighed, she didn't want to get into this right now, but she could hear the desperation in his voice, even heard it overriding his drunkenness, "I love him Chris, please don't ask me to explain."

"And you didn't love me."

"I didn't say that," she told him, "I do love you Chris."

"No you don't," he said, "You never did, not even as a friend--"

"That's not true!" she cried out.

"It IS true and you know it," he told her, "You wouldn't have treated me like scum if you did."

"Chris, please don't do this to yourself."

"Do what? I'm not doing anything. I was just about to go to sleep before I got interrupted by you."

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to thank you."

"Yeah, we got to that part already."

"Fine Chris, never mind, forget that I called, I just..........forget we were ever even friends!"

"Already did Stephanie, already did."


	28. Chapter 28

Chris sighed as he looked on at the happy family. It had been a month since his tearful meeting with Tristan, a long month at that. Now Stephanie and Tristan were traveling with the company and he saw them everywhere. It was like Stephanie would show up every place he was at just to torment him. He looked at his little girl and how big she had gotten in the last month.

He hadn't talked to Stephanie since then and made no attempt to speak with her. She made no attempts either. She had gotten what she wanted out of him and that was that. He vaguely remembered talking to her that night that he had watched Tristan, but could only remember bits and pieces from the conversation. From what he could remember it hadn't gone well.

He got up from the table and wasn't aware of the eyes that had settled upon him. Stephanie was looking at him as he exited the room. He definitely looked different, she observed. Ever since she had called him up and he had been drunk out of his mind, she had been keeping an eye on him. It worried her that he had been drinking. He looked tired nowadays, he hid it well, but she could just tell.

"Steph?" Hunter's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Where were you just now?"

She looked at him, "I was sitting right here, what do you mean?"

"Yeah, you were sitting here, but your mind was somewhere else, I was talking to you and you completely spaced out."

"Oh," she said, "I was just thinking about how many diapers we had left and if we had enough to last us the night."

That was a pretty good cover she thought to herself. He nodded his head and looked down at Tristan who was resting in the crook of his arm. She had a pacifier in her mouth and sucked on it happily as she watched alertly at the adults sitting above her. She reached out her hands and Hunter gave her one of his fingers to grab.

"And do we?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Yeah."

"Did you want to take her and feed her?" he asked.

"No, she ate an hour ago while you were discussing your match, she's probably not hungry right now."

"Oh, ok, well, do you mind if I take her and go show her off some more," he said.

She kissed his cheek, "Yeah, go ahead."

He kissed her and got up. She watched as he adjusted Tristan in his arms and walked away. She sat there, staring off into space and thinking about Chris. Truth be told, he had been on her mind a lot lately. She was just worried that she had hurt him very badly. She knew that she had no right to worry about him anymore, but.........he was the father of her child.

Chris sat down and grabbed the flask that he had been hiding in his duffel bag. Since he didn't want to lug around beer in his bag, he brought a flask full of whiskey instead. It hit the spot whenever he saw Stephanie or Tristan. He took a long swig of it. He had forgotten how much he had drank today.

He knew he had had about six or seven beers before he had gotten there. He had lost track. Then he had had about half a bottle of whiskey, plus what he had added to his flask. Drinking seemed to be his only consolation nowadays and it had become a daily activity. He always made sure to have some sort of alcohol around him at all times. Sometimes he wasn't even sure how he managed to wrestle. High tolerance was his only guess.

But it dimmed the pain he felt, and that was the most important thing to him right now. Maybe it would subside over time, but right now it was still so fresh that he needed something to numb the pain in his heart and in his gut every time he saw the two girls who had ruined him for life. He reached for his flask and downed its contents in seconds. He wiped his mouth crudely on the back of his palm and got up to put it back in his duffel bag. He didn't need anyone knowing of his little habit.

He got up and the room started spinning uncontrollably. He shook his head a few times, shaking the dizzy feeling off. He stuffed his flask in his bag and went to go lay down on the couch before the show. He would catch a quick nap and then some of the affects of the alcohol would wear off and he'd be good to go. As he stepped in front of the couch, the room started spinning again and he collapsed onto it, letting the blackness sweep over him.

Stephanie wandered down the hall, wondering what to do. Hunter was still off with Tristan and she didn't have anything to do before the show. She also didn't have a lot of people to talk with. Everyone was nicer to her since she had had Tristan, but she still didn't have what she could call friends. The only one who had really resembled that was Chris, and she didn't have him anymore. She sighed and found herself at his door, how she got there, she would never guess.

Deciding that maybe they should talk, she knocked quietly on the door. There was nothing on the other side, but she couldn't think of any reason he wouldn't be there. She knocked again, louder and still nothing happened. She turned the knob and found it unlocked. Pushing it open, she stuck her head in tentatively, hoping he wasn't naked or anything. Not that she hadn't seen him naked, she had, but the time where that had been appropriate was long gone. She saw him lying down, looking to be asleep and she was about to leave when she smelled the distinct scent of liquor. Surely Chris wouldn't be drinking on the job.

She walked over to him and the smell got stronger as she got closer. She looked down at him and he seemed to be sweating awfully hard for someone who was supposed to be asleep. Maybe he had a fever or something. She reached down slowly to feel his forehead and found it to be clammy. She kneeled by his side and reached out to shake his shoulder.

"Chris," she whispered.

He didn't even move a muscle. She shook him a little harder, "Chris, wake up."

Again he didn't move and now she was starting to get worried. He didn't look well at all and with the alcohol she knew he had been consuming, it made her even more worried. She started to shake him, but he was just flopping around and his hand fell off the side of the couch lifelessly. She started yelling his name and shaking him violently, and sitting him up at the same time.

By this time she was starting to panic, he wasn't responding to her and it scared her. She got up and looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do. She ran into the bathroom and grabbed a cup they had in there and filled it with cold water. She ran back out and over to the couch, throwing it on Chris's face. Suddenly he jerked up and Stephanie started crying out of relief.

"What the--"

"Oh God," Stephanie said, a hand over her heart.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked her, seeing her standing over him with a cup in hand.

"You scared me to death!" she yelled at him, throwing the cup at his head, which he ducked out of the way of.

"Why? I was just taking a nap."

"You weren't waking up," she said, starting to shake, "You were just laying there, like you were dead or something."

"I must've passed out," he muttered, "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I wanted to talk to you," she said, tears stills streaming down her face.

"You should probably just go Stephanie."

"You're just going to leave it like this?" she asked, "You frighten me and then you tell me to leave."

"Stephanie, I'm fine, see," he said, opening his arms as if for inspection.

"You've been drinking..........a lot."

"Don't go playing all sympathetic for me now ok?" he said, "You haven't cared before, don't start caring now."

"Who said I never cared!?!"

"Oh please Stephanie," he said, standing up, "You haven't cared about me at all! If you even cared one iota for me, you would never have treated me like you're treating me."

"I didn't want to get pregnant you know?"

"You don't think I know that. God Stephanie, it doesn't matter, it was a sympathy thing anyways. I felt sorry for you," he told her, "Nothing more."

She wiped her eyes, "You honestly think that."

"It's what you think, so yeah." 

She nodded, "You shouldn't drink at work, it could affect your performance in the ring."

"It hasn't so far," he countered.

"I don't want to see you get hurt."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't get all emotional on me now Stephanie, you haven't cared for the past God knows how long."

"I never stopped caring, you're the father of my child, I don't want to see anything happen to you."

"I'm not the father of your child Stephanie," he said, "I gave that up. Hunter is that baby's father, so maybe you should go worry about what he's doing."

"I made a mistake Chris!" she said, getting frustrated by him.

"Yeah, so did I, I never should've talked to you when we were locked up, I should've left well enough alone."

She looked down, "I didn't see it that way, but whatever. I actually liked talking to you."

"Well good for you," he said, "Glad to know that you so easily discarded me then."

"Chris, I just came to talk to you."

"You talked, now get out," he ordered. She stared at him, "I said get out!"

Stephanie jumped back a little and nodded silently. She gave Chris one last lingering look before turning to go to the door. She reached for the knob turning it slightly and then looked back at Chris. He was staring at the floor, rubbing his temples. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She wouldn't even know what to say if she could say something. Everything seemed so inadequate, and she knew there was no way to make him feel better. She would just have to go on living her life, and he would go on living his. It was the only way to go about this.

She only hoped that he wouldn't self-destruct.


	29. Chapter 29

Stephanie walked back to her locker room, still thinking about Chris and how scared she had been when she saw him lying on that couch. She had never had fear seize her so quickly as it had when he wouldn't wake up. She shivered at the thought and goosebumps formed on her bare arms. She was frightened for him. He had been drinking, at the show, and he didn't even seem to care. And it smelled like hard liquor too, not just beer.

She was feeling terribly guilty at this point. She knew the reason he was drinking was all her fault. If she hadn't asked him to give up Tristan, none of this would've happened. He was hurting because of her, and she had no way to stop it. She couldn't tell Hunter the truth, it would crush him and she would lose him. She didn't want to lose him. She couldn't lose him.

She walked inside and found Hunter and Tristan sitting on the couch. He was looking down at her and smiling. A smile crept on Stephanie's face as she saw the two of them. He looked up and saw her and stood up as well, coming over to her. He gently handed Tristan to Stephanie and she gazed down at her daughter. Hunter kissed her cheek and she glanced up at him.

"I have to talk to your dad for a second, I'll be right back ok?" he told her.

"Ok," she nodded.

He left and she went to sit down on the couch with Tristan. She looked down at her daughter's blue eyes and thought of Chris. Those eyes, they were just as clear as his and when she stared at her little girl, she felt like she was staring at Chris. She ran her finger up and down Tristan's arm, sighing as she thought about the real father of her child. Who was she to deny him the right to be Tristan's father? It wasn't her right, but he had been the one to give them up in the first place, why would he say it if he didn't mean it?

Hunter came back and grinned as he saw them. He came up and took Tristan from Stephanie and she looked up at him curiously, "Why are you so happy?"

"Well, I went to your dad to get clearance for something that I wanted to do," he said, then leaned down to kiss Tristan's nose.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm going to introduce Tristan to the fans and everyone," he said proudly.

Stephanie paled, "What're you going to do?"

"Take her out there and show her off."

"But...........you can't," she said quickly.

"Why not?" 

"The ring is no place for a baby," she said sternly.

"Stephanie, I know, but it's only to introduce her to everyone. She'll be out there for a few minutes, and then we take her back here," he said, starting to leave the room. 

Stephanie caught up with him, "Hunter, please, I don't think this is a good idea."

"It's a great idea."

He walked quickly down to the gorilla, Stephanie pleading with him the whole time. She had come to a realization in the last few minute's as she chased him. If he went out there and told the world that Tristan was his, then that would be the final nail in the coffin. She had seen Chris's eyes, had tried not to, but sitting there, staring at Tristan's eyes, the same eyes that Chris had, she had seen the pain in his eyes. She had seen how on the verge he was of breaking, and she just couldn't be responsible for that.

Hunter heard his music go off and walked down the ramp, Stephanie trailing helplessly afterwards. She could hear the crowd cheering, but it was faint as her eyes remained focused on Hunter and his walking down the ramp. She tried to grab his arm, but he simply turned and smiled at her.

"Hunter, no please!" she said, trying one last plea to get him to stop and turn around.

He climbed carefully in the ring and she had no choice but to climb in after him. She stood there, looking around, seeing a blur of faces as Hunter went for a microphone. The whole room was spinning and she felt like she was spinning out of control. The enormity of the situation was weighing down on her shoulders and she could feel herself about to give way.

Chris stood there, watching the monitor, his eyes not even blinking. He had just walked by a monitor on his way to catering and saw Hunter walking down the ramp with Tristan in his arms. Stephanie was trailing after him, worry on her face. He guessed she was nervous that Tristan would be in the ring while she was still so young. He didn't blame her for being worried, he was worried too.

He was informed by the announcers that Hunter had planned a little meet and greet with Tristan. Chris just scoffed. The showing off was just beginning. He steeled himself as he prepared to watch Hunter gloat over something that wasn't even his. Where was a beer when you really needed one? He just wanted something to make this feel better. He felt a stake being driven through his heart as he was about to witness Hunter take claim of his little girl.

"Good evening everyone," Hunter said into the microphone as the crowd listened, "My lovely wife and I are out here for a very special reason tonight, and I'm sure most of you can guess why."

"Hunter, please," Stephanie begged.

"Now, Stephanie, being the modest person she is," he winked, "Didn't want to come out her to show off our little girl, but I figured it was time everyone met the newest member to the McMahon dynasty."

Stephanie looked at him, he looked so happy. She didn't want to ruin this moment, but she had no choice. Chris, he was, she was scared for him. She was more scared for him then she ever had been for anyone in her life. She needed to do something and do something now, before Chris went off and did something rash.

"So I wanted to introduce to you our daughter--"

"She's not yours!" Stephanie blurted out, then covered her mouth. She really hadn't meant to yell that.

It didn't help that the microphone Hunter had been holding picked up on the sound and the entire arena and everyone at home and backstage heard it as well. Hunter swung his head towards her, his eyes wide, and he stared at her, wondering if she was playing some sick joke with him. Tears filled her eyes under his scrutinizing gaze. He stared at Tristan and then back up at Stephanie.

"Stephanie, what are you talking about?"

"Hunter, let's just go backstage, we need to talk," she said.

"No!" he snapped, "Tell me now."

She looked at the crowd and gulped, "Hunter, backstage, please."

"NO!" he yelled, "What do you mean?"

Stephanie took Tristan from him and held her close to his body, as she started to whimper from all the loud noise, "I refuse to tell you here."

"You're telling me right now!" he said.

"Fine!" she yelled, "Tristan isn't your daughter!"

She could hear the entire arena gasp, and if she listened loud enough, she could hear people gasping from their homes as they watched this live. Hunter looked livid for a moment and then his face just completely fell. He took a step back and just stared at her, as if trying to process what she had just screamed.

"Sh-she's not?" he asked, unclear, hoping he had heard her wrong.

"I can't live like this anymore, I can't do this to him anymore," she said, sobbing, "I'm sorry Hunter, but she's not yours, and I can't keep her from her father anymore, you don't know, you just don't know what it's doing to him."

She climbed out of the ring quickly, not even looking back at Hunter. She raced backstage, holding Tristan close to her body and she made a run for her locker room. She went inside and gently lay Tristan in her carrier before packing up her things and rushing them out of there, not knowing where she was going, but needing to get away from everything right now.

Chris stood there, frozen, unable to think, move, blink. She had just admitted, in front of everyone, that Tristan wasn't Hunter's. He felt himself sigh in relief as he felt like he could finally breathe. He gave a happy sob as he looked around, wondering if anyone was around that he could hug or something. He needed to do something. He pumped his fist in the air and just ran back to his locker room. She had told the truth, he didn't need to live a lie anymore. He didn't need to be in the shadows anymore.

Stephanie sat in her hotel room, waiting anxiously for Hunter to return. She knew he had to return sometime. She had flirted with the idea of flying home, of going to her mother's, who would know what to do, but she needed to talk to Hunter, he deserved an explanation. It was 3:00 in the morning and she knew he was probably getting drunk somewhere.

Finally, just as she was about to fall asleep, Hunter walked into the hotel room, and she could tell he was quite sober. He didn't even regard her sitting there and went into the bedroom. She waited a moment before walking in after him, watching as he grabbed some pajamas and changed. She waited until he had come back out from the bathroom before she looked straight at him.

"Hunter, we need to talk," she said quietly.

"Stephanie, there's nothing to talk about."

"There is though, so much." 

"Fine," he said, sitting on the bed.

"God, where do I start?" she sighed.

"You could tell me who the father is for one," he said, folding his arms as he regarded her. 

She wrung her hands and sat on the armchair across from him, "Chris."

He nodded, "I figured as much. I mean, who else could it have been? When?"

"The night I caught you cheating with Stacy."

"Damn," he muttered, "I'm two for two, because I knew it had to be in that time period."

"He did it to comfort me, I asked him to. It wasn't his fault, he didn't even want to, it was all me. I saw you with her, and I just wanted to get back at you so bad, and he was there, and he was a friend and hated seeing me so upset."

Hunter stared off into space, "Yeah, I understand."

"You do?" she asked, surprised by his calm demeanor.

"We should've seen it Stephanie," he said, looking back at her.

"Should've seen what?" she asked, now confused.

He sighed, "Us. Stephanie, I slept with someone else, you slept with someone else. We obviously didn't love each other enough to want to stay together."

"Are you saying I didn't love you!" she asked indignantly, she had loved him, so much that she was willing to take Tristan away from Chris.

"No, I'm not saying that," he said, pausing to think of what he wanted to say, "I know you loved me, but we just didn't love each other the way married people are supposed to."

"I do love you Hunter."

He got up and came and kneeled in front of her, grabbing both her hands, "I know, and I love you too, I always will, but Stephanie, we can't keep lying to ourselves. We can't go on living like this."

She saw her marriage crumbling before her eyes. She felt the tears come to her eyes as she thought back on their marriage. They had had their share of bad times, but there were also good times. She couldn't overlook that, and she had truly loved Hunter, but somewhere along the line, they just didn't click anymore.

"So.........we're over," she said, starting to cry.

"Stephanie, there are bigger and better things for us out there," he told her, "And you said so yourself, you can't keep doing this to Chris."

"Are you saying I love him?"

"I don't know, do you?"

"No, I don't," she said, "I mean, as a friend, but no, not like that."

"Well, find someone you do love," he told her, kissing your cheek, "He's out there, I know it."

"Thank you Hunter, for being so understanding."

"I had time to think about it. At first I was pissed, I wanted to kill whoever got you pregnant. But then I thought, what right do I have to be mad? I lied to you first, I cheated on you first."

"We both made mistakes," she said.

"Yeah, and we have to just move on," he said, getting up, "I got another room, so I'm going to go ok?"

"Ok," she nodded.

He went over and grabbed his suitcase and his things and he packed them up. He walked over to the crib where Tristan was sleeping peacefully and kissed the tips of his fingers and then lightly touched her cheek.

"Goodbye Tristan."


	30. Chapter 30

Chris sat at his kitchen table, staring at the beer bottle in front of him. He wondered why he was just looking at it and why he wasn't drinking it. He was too busy thinking, that's why he wasn't drinking it. His thoughts were consuming him at the moment and he just stared, thinking about things, thinking about Stephanie, and about Tristan.  
  
It was Thursday and he hadn't seen Stephanie since Monday at Raw. He didn't have to work tonight and was just sitting at home, doing nothing. He didn't know where she was, and he hadn't heard from her. Part of him feared that she had gone back to Hunter and told him that she was lying and that she had just said it to get Tristan out of the ring. Another part of him thought that Hunter had accepted it and they were still together and still happy.  
  
None of him actually felt like he would get to be a father to Tristan. He just didn't think it was in the cards for him. He was happy knowing that at least, if for a just a moment, that Hunter realized he wasn't that little girl's father. Stephanie had already made him sign papers taking away any right he had, and after their last fight, there was no way that she would let him see his baby, especially since she knew he was drinking.  
  
Finally he actually felt like a beer. He grabbed the beer off the table and twisted the cap off. He was about to knock it back, but the doorbell rang. He set the beer down and wondered who would be coming over. He hoped it wasn't a solicitor or something, the last thing he needed to deal with right now. He went to the front door and opened it up.  
  
His eyes widened as he saw Stephanie on the other side, a tentative smile on her face and a baby carrier in her right hand, with Tristan sleeping contentedly inside. He looked at her and then at Tristan. He looked at Stephanie again, a questioning look on her face.  
  
"Stephanie?" he asked.  
  
"We didn't have anywhere else to go," she told him.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Hunter and I, we broke up," she informed him, "And he's at our house, and my mom and dad, I stayed with them, but every day it was questioning and I just couldn't take it anymore."  
  
"Shane?"  
  
"Shane's got enough to worry about without his poor sister and her baby ruining his life," she sighed.  
  
"Oh," he said, mulling over the information he had just received, "You and Hunter?"  
  
"We broke up. Totally mutual, no fighting, no nothing, we just realized it was over."  
  
He nodded, his brow furrowed, "Oh."  
  
"I needed to get away from Connecticut. Everything there was just too...cramped," she said, "I needed to get away, I don't know for how long, but I mean, I don't even have a house anymore. When Hunter and I got married, I just moved in with him, and now I'm homeless."  
  
"I see," he said, still thinking.  
  
"Um, Chris, I hate to be rude here," she said, "But I've got an infant out here in the cold and um, she's getting kind of heavy to hold."  
  
"Oh my God," Chris said, coming to his senses, "I'm so sorry, come inside."  
  
"Thanks," she said, walking inside.  
  
He led her into the living room where she set her purse down on a side table and then set Tristan's carrier on the couch. She pulled Tristan's blanket up as it had fallen down a little in the transporting from room to room. Chris watched attentively, wanting to help, but feeling really out of place. He had only really been around Tristan once, and he wasn't sure that Stephanie wanted him around her at all. Stephanie stood up fully and turned to look at Chris.  
  
"Thank you for letting me stay here," she told him, "I really appreciate it."  
  
"Not a problem, least I can do," he said quickly.  
  
"It really means a lot to me," she told him, "Tristan's napping, did you maybe want to talk in the kitchen or something?"  
  
"Is she going to be ok in here by herself?"  
  
"Well, she can't unstrap herself and start walking around the living room if that's what you're thinking," she said, "She's napping, she won't be any trouble."  
  
"Ok," he said, glancing nervously over at the carrier. Stephanie smirked a little as she saw him looking at Tristan.  
  
After checking on the baby one more time, Stephanie and Chris walked into the kitchen. Stephanie noticed the open beer bottle on the table, and she frowned a little at it. It worried her to see that he was still drinking, despite the fact that the bottle looked like it hadn't been drunk from yet. She sat at one of the seats at the table as Chris sat on the one across from her. He pushed the beer away with his hand so he could see her better.  
  
"I guess I owe you an explanation," she told him.  
  
"About what?" he asked, genuinely confused.  
  
"About why I did what I did," she told him, "About why I decided to tell the truth."  
  
"I don't care why you did it Stephanie, just that you did it."  
  
"I did it for you. Not to clear my conscience, not to do the right and honorable thing, not to spare Hunter's feelings. I did it for you."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Chris, you have no idea how scared I was when I found you lying on that couch and you wouldn't wake up," she said, shivering at the memory, "I had never felt worse at any other moment in my life, not even when we walked in on Hunter and Stacy."  
  
"I didn't mean to scare you."  
  
"I know, but I realized that it was all my fault, and I couldn't let you go on like that if I could stop it."  
  
"Thank you," he said softly.  
  
"No Chris, you have NO reason to thank me, none at all."  
  
"What you did took a lot of courage."  
  
"No, it didn't, what I did took a lot of cowardice. Chris, I had no right to put you through any of it. None at all. You should be pissed at me right now. You should've slammed the door in my face for everything I've done to you."  
  
"Now I know that's not true," he told her.  
  
"What I did was terrible. I asked you to give up your child. I realize now how selfish of me that was. I was trying to have my cake and eat it too, so to speak. That wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry that I even made you do any of that."  
  
"You had your reasons."  
  
She started tearing up, "Why don't you hate me?"  
  
"Stephanie," he said, "You're human. You can't be perfect all the time, you make mistakes, we all do. But you did the right thing, you rectified the situation."  
  
"I had to," she said, wiping her eyes.  
  
"So what are you going to do?" he asked, "I mean, with the living situation."  
  
"I don't know," she admitted, "Most of my things are at Hunter's, I packed up some of the stuff, but I've still got lots of stuff there. I figured that I would just buy a house in Connecticut or something. I'm not sure yet."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Chris pursed his lips. He didn't like the idea that she would be living so far away. He wanted to be around Tristan, he wanted to be a real father to her and if she was a thousand miles away, that might be a little difficult. He didn't want to seem pushy though and still didn't know how involved Stephanie would let him be in Tristan's life.  
  
"You can move in with me," he suggested, not knowing how she would react.  
  
"Chris, I couldn't do that, it'd be intruding, and I mean, you probably wouldn't want me around," she said, shaking her head resolutely.  
  
"Stephanie, you've stayed here before, and you weren't intruding then, and you wouldn't be intruding now. I don't live with anyone, I don't have a girlfriend, nobody's going to be offended if you live with me."  
  
"But I mean, do you have enough space and everything?"  
  
"Well, there's my room, and then there would be your room and a nursery, then there's my office...yeah, we'd have plenty of room."  
  
"I don't want to be a nuisance, and you probably can't stand the sight of me after everything I've done to you--"  
  
"Stephanie, I don't hate you," he told her, "I never hated you, didn't agree with you, sure, but I never hated you."  
  
"Oh," she answered, "Do you want us here permanently?"  
  
"I would like that yeah, I mean, unless you don't want me in your and Tristan's life....," he trailed off silently, fixing his gaze on the table.  
  
"No, I want you to," Stephanie said, "I wouldn't have come here if I didn't."  
  
"But the papers, she's not legally mine. I gave up the rights."  
  
Stephanie got up and left the room. Chris sat there, perplexed by her just up and leaving like that. She came back into the room moments later, a stack of papers in her hand. She showed them to him and he saw they were the legal papers she had had him sign. She ripped the first one up, then the second one, and finally the third one. Chris gave a small smile.  
  
"I never filed them," she told him, "And now they're null and void."  
  
"So you want me to be a part of her life?" he said slowly.  
  
Tristan started crying and Chris's ears perked up at the sound. He looked up at Stephanie and she nodded, a smile on her face. He got up and walked into the living room where Tristan had just woken up. He went over to the carrier and picked her up, holding her in his arms. Stephanie watched from the doorway as Chris rocked her back and forth. Tristan stopped crying and looked up at him.  
  
Chris reveled in the moment. He didn't think that it could get any better than this. Holding his daughter, knowing that when he went to bed, she'd be here, when he woke up, she'd be here. He grinned up at Stephanie, proud that he had gotten her to stop crying. She just smiled back at him, actually loving the picture the two of them made together. She knew that moment that she had done the right thing.  
  
"We're going to have to give you a pretty nursery aren't we Tristan?" Chris cooed.  
  
Stephanie laughed, "We'll have to go buy some stuff."  
  
"Yeah," he said, looking up at her, "You don't mind staying in the guest room do you?"  
  
"No, I'm sure I can make it my own in no time."  
  
"Yeah," he said, glancing up at her in between gazing at Tristan, "Hey Tristan, you're going to like Florida huh?"  
  
"She'll love it, I'm sure."  
  
"Thank you for this Stephanie," Chris said, walking over to her.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For letting me be in Tristan's life, for telling the truth."  
  
"Like I said, don't thank me, it was something I had to do."  
  
"I'm sorry it broke up your marriage," he said, meaning it, despite his anger towards Hunter.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Our marriage was long broken before you showed up, we just kept trying to hide the cracks."  
  
He laughed, "I guess."  
  
"There's just one stipulation on me moving in," she told him seriously.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
She took his free hand and pulled him and Tristan back into the kitchen. She stood him near the sink and opened his fridge. He had three six-packs of beer in the fridge. She shook her head and pulled them all out. One by one, with Chris watching, she dumped each and every last drop into the sink. She grabbed the final bottle, the one that had been sitting on the table and took it and let the golden brown liquid sink down the drain. She set the bottle down and looked up at Chris.  
  
"You have no more need for that." 


	31. Chapter 31

Stephanie covered the last piece of furniture with the plastic tarp. They were painting Tristan's nursery today. It had been a few days since Stephanie had moved in and they were getting around to really decorating. They had managed to buy a new crib and a new dresser and changing table, but other than that the room was very bare. Everything else was in Stephanie's house in Connecticut.

Chris came in with the paint and set them down on the ground, "Ok, here it is."

"Great," she said, "I think that we picked a great color."

"Yeah," he said, as he lifted the can to reveal a pale green color, "It'll look good with the furniture."

"Yeah, I was hoping it would. Is Tristan taking her nap?"

"Yeah, she's in the bassinet in your room," he informed her, "Sleeping like a well, like a baby."

She laughed, "Yeah, nice analogy there Chris."

"Shut up," he laughed, "She's fine and she's sleeping. And I opened the window so in case any paint fumes should get in there, it will quickly sweep out of the room."

"Good," she said, "I know it's not that dangerous, but, well, you know, she's..........."

"Our baby," he finished, smiling cutely at those words.

He had been doing the Dad thing for the past few days, and it was the most fun he had ever had in his entire life. He didn't even need a drop of alcohol in his system. He got up with Stephanie during the night, he took care of Tristan during the day. He was learning all her little quirks and all her preferences. He knew that her favorite thing was her little stuffed dog and that she usually woke up around three in the morning in hunger.

He loved being a Dad, it was the most thrilling feeling in the entire world. Seeing Tristan look up at him, he knew that all that suffering he went through, every single moment of pain was worth it. He would do it over again in a heartbeat, just so he could be with her like he was. He smiled to himself and took out a couple rollers as Stephanie poured some paint in a tray. He handed Stephanie and roller and they got down to work.

They worked silently for a while, focusing on getting the painting right. They were standing side by side and working their way around the room. Stephanie came over and painted a spot she missed and accidentally painted Chris's arm. He turned to her, an indignant look on his face.

Stephanie laughed, "Oops."

"You did that on purpose!" he said.

"Never," she said, still laughing.

Chris put some paint on her arm and her jaw dropped as she looked at him. She took her roller and rolled it over his shirt. Pretty soon they were having a paint fight and by the end of it, they both looked like Kermit the Frog, all covered in green. They laughed as Stephanie pulled a strand of hair out of his face.

"Ok, now we're a mess," she said, looking down at her clothes.

"It'll wash off," he said, wiping some paint off her cheek.

"Hopefully. We'll scare Trist if we stay this way," she laughed.

"Her parents the aliens," Chris joked.

Stephanie shook her head and went back to her painting. She had been having fun with Chris these last few days, and was glad that she had told the truth. She still loved Hunter, deep in her heart, but she couldn't go on living a lie. And Chris was so great with Tristan, he loved her so much and it made her feel better knowing that she did the right thing by letting him be a father to her.

"So why didn't you want to stay with your parents?" Chris asked, trying to make conversation.

"They were stifling me," she said.

"How so?"

"Trying to get me to talk about what happened. I could tell they were disappointed in me," she said, shaking her head.

"Why?"

"Because they said it made me look like a slut," she answered quietly.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No, they didn't know the whole story, but I didn't think they should know," she said, "I mean, it makes Hunter seem like the scum of the Earth, and you know, he wasn't all bad all the time."

"So you sacrifice yourself to make him look better?"

She sighed, "If you want to look at it that way."

"Stephanie, you should've told them the truth."

"I just don't know if my father could look at Hunter the same way, and he doesn't deserve his career to go down the drain because he made a mistake."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but Stephanie, do you want them to think you're a bad person, because you're not."

"I'll tell them next time I see them," she said.

"Do they know I'm the father?" Chris asked casually, though Stephanie could feel his eyes burning into her.

"No. I don't want them to think any less of you either," she said, turning to him, "They'll find out soon enough."

"Yeah, next Monday," he said.

She frowned, "The shit's going to hit the fan."

He wrapped his arm around her companionably, "Don't worry about it, I'm here for you."

She looked up at him, he seemed so resolved, like he actually believed that. But everyone was going to know she slept around. They would think that she was such a slut, and they'd think Chris was a home-wrecker. They were going to be looked down upon by everyone. She didn't know if she could take that.

"You are?"

"Stephanie, don't you remember what I said when I first found out you were pregnant?"

She looked up at him, "You said that you would always be there for me."

"And look," he said, gesturing towards himself, "Here I am, just like I said."

She smiled, "Yeah, you are here. But Chris, what will people think when they find out everything. They'll think so little of us."

"Whatever," Chris told her, "Who really gives a damn what they think? Stephanie, you didn't do anything wrong, and neither did I. What we did, it was a mistake, sure, but it wasn't wrong. You were hurting, and I helped you. And we got this beautiful little girl out of it, focus on that."

"You're right," she said, pulling away from him and painting more of the room, "Of course you're right."

"Was that a dig towards me?" Chris said.

"No," she laughed.

"Sure," he said skeptically, "So what are we going to do about your lack of stuff? Are you planning on getting any of it from your old house?"

"I want to," she said, "But I'm afraid to go back to by myself, I just, I don't know, seeing everything and how it is now."

"What if I went and did it?"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Sure, if you want me to," he told her.

"Thank you," she said, hugging him, "That way, we can move everything in here and Tristan's room won't look like we neglect her or something."

"I guess I just have to spoil her," he grinned.

Stephanie smiled and shook her head. She loved that Chris wanted to be in Tristan's life. He was going to be such a good Dad and he was already showing that right now, even though she had only been staying with him for a few days. She saw the way he looked at Tristan, like she was the light of his world. She was glad she could give that to him, even if it took her awhile.

"Great, she's going to be a Daddy's Girl too."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

She laughed as they continued working. She pretty much finished the room in a few hours and just as they were done, as if sensing their finishing, Tristan started crying. Stephanie laughed and looked at herself, she was a mess, and Tristan would probably want to eat.

"You go take a shower, I have less paint on me," Chris said, looking at her practically green face.

"Thanks," she said, jogging out of the room and into her bathroom.

Chris walked out of the room and went into his bedroom to grab a wet washcloth and pretty much cleaned himself off. He walked into Stephanie's room and was greeted with Tristan's wailing. He smiled and went over to her bassinet, leaning over it to look at her. Her face was scrunched up and he picked her up, rocking her softly.

"Hey there sweetie, I know you're probably hungry, but Mommy is in the shower right now, but she'll be right out," he said softly.

He kept rocking her, until he heard the shower adjacent to Stephanie's room stop. He smiled down at her as she stopped crying and reached out her hands for him. Stephanie came in the room, a towel around her as she wrung out her wet hair. Chris smiled at her and gently put Tristan back in her bassinet, letting Stephanie get dressed and feed Tristan in private.

He went to his own room to take a shower and get cleaned up. When he was through, he got dressed and went downstairs. Stephanie was sitting on the couch, cross-legged, as she held Tristan in one arm and watched television. He smiled at her briefly and then went into the kitchen to grab a water. He opened his fridge and could tell the stark contrast from now and before Stephanie and Tristan had moved in. His fridge used to be filled with beer and alcohol, his former comforts, and now it was filled with bottles and baby formula. Definitely something to get used to.

He walked back into the living room and sat down next to Stephanie. Tristan looked up at him, wondering who had joined her and he smiled down at her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. She scrunched her nose and closed her eyes again, cuddling up to Stephanie's chest.

"So the show on Monday is in Connecticut," he said, "I was thinking, if your Dad wouldn't mind, maybe we can use his jet to move all of your stuff."

"I don't know if my dad would go for that," she said quietly as Tristan was dozing off.

"Why?"

"He'd hate to think that I was moving all the way to Florida."

"Yeah," he said, "But this is your decision, do you want to stay in Connecticut?"

"No, I really don't. I want far away from that," she said, laughing softly.

"Then just tell your dad that, he'll understand."

"Oh, because you know Vince McMahon?" she said, giving him a look.

"He can't keep you as his little girl forever Stephanie. You're a mother now, you have a baby to think about, if it's what's best for Tristan, than it's what's best for you."

"Or is it what's best for you?" she asked.

"What?" he said, genuinely confused by her question.

"If I told you I wanted to live in Connecticut, what would you do?" she asked.

"I'd move to Connecticut," he said, without missing a beat.

She looked surprised, "You would actually just pack up and move to Connecticut, just like that?"

"To be around Tristan, yes," he told her, "I'd move to the ends of the Earth for her."

Stephanie felt her heart swell as he said those words. It had never quite hit her how much Chris loved Tristan, but she couldn't ignore it now. She looked down to where Tristan had woken up and had grabbed onto one of Chris's fingers. When had Chris gotten so close to her anyways? She bit back the jealousy when he said that he wanted to be around Tristan, with no mention of herself.

"I know you would," she whispered.

"If you don't want to live in Florida, you just have to tell me," he whispered back, staring into her eyes.

"I want to," she said, feeling his breath on her lips.

"Good, I want you to," he said, leaning in closer to her.

She didn't know why this moment had turned out like it had. She was just sitting on the couch with Tristan, watching television, and now Chris was about to kiss her. She knew he was; she could feel him getting closer and closer. Her eyes fluttered closed and she anticipated his lips on hers, she could almost taste it. His lips brushed softly against hers when Tristan cried loudly.

Chris pulled back suddenly, embarrassed by what had just happened. Stephanie's eyes opened and she looked down at Tristan immediately, avoiding Chris's gaze at all costs. They weren't supposed to kiss. That was odd, they had a daughter and they weren't supposed to kiss, that didn't sound right. Parents were supposed to love each other and raise a family together and she had had a baby with a friend. It was weird to say the least.

"I think she needs a change," Chris's voice broke into her thoughts.

Stephanie stared dumbly, "Uh, yeah."

"Here, I'll take her," Chris said, gently taking the baby from her arms.

Stephanie watched stupidly as Chris took Tristan out of the room. She tried to make sense of what had just happened, but her mind just could not wrap around the fact they had almost just kissed. Chris has once told her he loved her, but she was sure that his feelings had changed since that time. There just wasn't any possibility for romance between the two of them. Except they had a kid, but getting together because they had a baby wouldn't be right, and it would make neither of them happy.

Everything was just so confusing.


	32. Chapter 32

"It's ok Stephanie, everything will be alright."

"Easy for you to say, you're the strong one," she told him. 

"You are strong, and you can't let what these people say get to you, if anyone says anything."

"They might not say it to my face, but they'll definitely say it behind my back."

Chris rolled his eyes and grabbed Tristan's bag and his own from the backseat as Stephanie transported Tristan from her car seat to her carrier. He waited for her and then locked the door. They had arrived to the arena extra early, per Stephanie's request. She was afraid of what people would think of her since her revelation last week. Chris wasn't as worried as she was, but he could understand why she was so nervous. People had never really seen the real her, and now their worst suspicions of her had been all but confirmed.

"Don't bother with what people think Steph," he told her as they walked inside, "If they can't understand or won't understand, than they're not worth talking to anyways."

"I will sincerely try to not care," she told him, smiling up at him.

They hadn't talked about their near kiss since it happened, and she was partly glad that they didn't. Her life was already in turmoil, and she didn't need to add anything to it. And by Chris not talking about it, she knew that he wanted to forget it too. That was better anyways. They needed to think of Tristan and if they got together and it didn't work out.........

Stephanie set Tristan down on the couch and Chris set the bags down. He looked down at Tristan and remembered the scene he had had with her what seemed like ages ago. She had been sitting there in her carrier and he had been the one to watch her. He thought he had been letting her go that evening. He thought that he would never get to be a father. He ran his finger over her arm and she looked up at him.

"Hey you, Mommy's a little nervous tonight, so let's try to be on our best behavior ok?" he told her.

Tristan gurgled in response.

"No Tristan, going out and cutting a promo announcing that I'm your Daddy would not be in the best taste."

Tristan's eyes widened as Stephanie watched the two. She shook her head and went over to Tristan's bag to make sure she had enough of everything for the evening. She idly listened to Chris talking to Tristan, and before long she could hear voices behind the door, signaling that people were arriving. Her face got pale as she sat next to Tristan on the couch and played with her foot.

"Mommy's nervous," Chris whispered to Tristan, though Stephanie could obviously hear.

"I am," she admitted, "I am so much."

Chris checked his watch, "Well, everyone is going to be arriving right around now, so you better be prepared. You can't stay holed up in here all night."

"Why not?" 

"Because you know your father is going to want to see Trist."

"Yeah, and I'm sure my mom is here tonight as well, since we're in Connecticut, and even if they hate me, they'll want to see her," she sighed.

"So go get it over with," he told her.

"Right now?"

"Is there going to be a better time?"

"Probably not."

"And then you can hole yourself up in here and not come out until we go back to the hotel."

"Ok," she said, standing up and picking up Tristan, "I'm going to go talk to them, let them know what happened, what part you play in all of this, and where I plan to reside."

"Good girl," he nodded resolutely.

"Wish me luck."

"Luck," he told her, then stood up himself, "I'm going to go get something to drink, wish me luck."

"Good luck," she laughed as he walked out.

He turned left and started walking down the hallway, following the signs to catering. He glanced over his shoulder to see Stephanie walking away in the other direction, Tristan's bag slung over her shoulder and Tristan firmly in her arms. He smiled to himself and went to go grab a water.

Stephanie walked down to her father's office, knowing where he usually kept it while in this arena. She knocked hesitantly on the door and waited to hear her father's gruff voice invite her in. Hearing it moments later, she opened the door with her free hand. Her father was sitting at his big desk chair and her mother was standing next to him, looking over his shoulder at some document. They both looked up to see her there. Her father had a sour look on his face for a moment, and then it softened as he saw the baby in Stephanie's arms.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," she said apprehensively, "I just wanted to come by and say hello."

"Hello," her mother said politely, walking around to the front of the desk, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, walking into the room fully, "But I have things that I need to talk about, to tell you both. I have things that I need to clear up."

"I should say you do, young lady," Vince told her, sitting back in his chair, "You just up and leave our house, no answers, no telling us where you're going. You have a baby, you can't act so irresponsibly, much like you did when you made that baby."

Stephanie was getting perturbed, and she regarded her father coldly, "I am responsible, ok, and I do NOT have to tell you where I am at every second of the day. I'm an adult now, and I can make my own decisions!"

"Ok, you two, let's calm down and talk sensibly shall we?" Linda said, always the calm during the storm.

"That's what I wanted to do in the first place," Stephanie said, sitting down on the couch before shooting her father a glare.

"First off," Linda said, starting the conversation, "How are the two of you?"

"We're fine," Stephanie said, shifting Tristan to a more comfortable position.

"Where did the two of you go?" Vince asked.

"We went to Tristan's father's house, where he took us in."

"And who is the home wrecker?" Vince said.

Stephanie just about lost her cool, "Dad, you know nothing about this ok? You don't know what happened, and you have no right to call him names ok? You got a beautiful granddaughter out of this, you should be singing his praises."

"Oh really, sing the praises of a man who probably seduced you away from your husband," Vince shot back.

"He did not!"

"Vince, Stephanie, this is no way to behave," Linda said, "Honey, start from the beginning ok? Help us understand."

She looked down, "Hunter cheated on me."

"What?!?" Vince said, suddenly incensed. How dare someone cheat on his little girl?

"He cheated on me for a while, an affair, not a one night stand, he had an affair with her," she said, finally looking up, she was still upset about the whole thing, "I.........found him one night, when I came back from being out, and they were in bed together, and, I left him."

"Oh sweetie," Linda said, rushing over to Stephanie, and hugging her, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because it wasn't anyone's business."

"Who was it with?"

Stephanie sighed, "Stacy."

"KIEBLER!" Vince yelled, "I'll have them both fired!"

"Daddy, no! I knew you would get this way and this is why I didn't tell you. You can't do anything to them ok? They made a mistake; they're not together anymore. Look, after the night I found them, Hunter never did it again. I got back together with him and forgave him because I loved him. I wanted to be with him."

"And is this when you slept with another man?" Linda asked, "After you two decided to try again?"

"No, I slept with him the night I found Hunter and Stacy. I just, I needed something to take my mind off of it, and it probably wasn't the best decision, but Hunter hurt me, and I wanted to hurt him back." 

"I understand," Linda told her, "And after that you went back to Hunter?"

"Yes, and then I found out I was pregnant and I was scared. I didn't want Hunter to misunderstand, it was one night, and so I lied. I lied and pretended it was his, even though it wasn't. I asked the father to give up parental rights, and he did."

"But you told anyways?"

"I had to," she said simply.

"Why?" Vince cut in.

She shook her head, not wanting to think of the fear she had felt that night when she had found Chris unconscious on the couch of his locker room. Nobody needed to know about that night, nobody needed to know how frightened she was, how scared she was that she had driven him to do something drastic.

"Because it was the right thing to do," she told them, "Tristan's not just mine and to act as if she was, was just selfish of me."

"We're sorry we treated you so harshly before Stephanie," Linda said, "We didn't have the details."

"It's ok, understandable," she told them.

"Who's the father?" Vince asked again.

Stephanie looked at Tristan, drawing strength from her, "Chris Jericho."

Her parents were surprised, she could tell by the way their eyes had widened and their jaws slacked. She knew it would be a surprise to everyone who found out. Hell, she was still a little surprised herself. Linda looked at Tristan, and saw for the first time, Chris's features. Tristan really had Chris's eyes, not Stephanie's, and had Chris's mouth. How did she not notice it before?

"And you went to his house after you left us?" Linda asked.

"Yes, I did, and he took us in."

"And Tristan, is he willing to support her, or is he trying to deny responsibility?" Vince questioned.

"He of course is taking responsibility. He loves Tristan as much as I do. And we're moving to Florida."

"Huh?"

"I want Tristan to have a family, and we're moving in with Chris."

"Are you two together?"

She thought back to the near-kiss briefly, "No, we're not, but he has plenty of room for the both of us."

"I don't think I like this," Vince told her, rubbing his chin.

"It's not your place to like it or dislike it Dad, it's what is. We're moving there. We need to use the jet to transport our things, but I am moving."

"That's fine," Linda said, "We respect your decision, don't we Vince?"

"Of course," Vince gave in at the stern look of Linda.

"And where are you staying tonight?"

"We got a hotel room--"

"You can stay with us," Linda interrupted, "We want to see as much of this little girl as we can, so you can stay with us."

"But Chris, I can't just leave him........."

"He can come too, of course. There's plenty of room for him as well," Linda smiled, noting her daughter's uncertainty of their acceptance of Chris, "Sweetie, we're not mad at you, and we're not mad at Chris. He's part of the family now, we'd like him to feel like it."

"Thank you Mom."

"Are you sure that he didn't try to seduce you or something?" Vince asked, just making sure that this hadn't been some big, elaborate plan by Chris to get his hands on the McMahon fortune.

"No Daddy, everything that happened was my idea," she told him.

"Ok, I just wanted to make sure his intentions were at least honorable."

"They were," she nodded.

"Now, we have a production meeting," Vince gestured to Linda, "Stephanie, did you want to join us?"

"Well, I have Tristan, but I can drop her off with Chris for a while."

"That's fine."

Chris, meanwhile, had gotten his water, and had headed back to his locker room where he hung out for a while, reading a magazine. But he soon tired of that, and got up to go in search of people. He ended up at the Hardy's dressing room and knocked on the door. Moments later, Lita answered, a huge smile on her face.

"Chris, you look great," she noted, seeing him look like he had actually slept.

"Are you saying I looked bad?"

"Yeah, you looked like crap," Jeff said from the couch, where Trish was sitting on his lap.

"Thanks," he said, rolling his eyes, "So what's up with all of you?"

"We're just excited about the show tonight?" Trish said, "Or rather the behind the scenes stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" he asked. He had pretty much been out of the loop during his month long drinking binge.

"What happened last week man," Matt said, "You HAD to have seen it."

"What?"

"Stephanie," Lita told him, "When she revealed that Hunter wasn't her baby's father. I mean, come on, that's all that everyone's been talking about since last week."

"Really?" Seems Stephanie's suspicions had been somewhat correct.

"Yeah!" Trish exclaimed, "We all wanna know who the Daddy is."

"Well," Chris said, clearing his throat.

"Oh my God, I think it's Kurt," Lita interrupted, "I mean, it makes sense, he's always been trying to get in her pants, ya know. I wouldn't be surprised."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Trish said, "But what if it's someone like Test, since they used to go out and they almost got married. You know, she could've just been having that closure sex."

"Ooh, good thought," Lita nodded. Jeff and Matt just watched their girlfriend's gossip noisily. Chris wanted to tell them the truth, but this was pretty funny.

"What if it's someone surprising, like Edge or Christian," Trish told Lita.

"Oh my God, that could be it, you know, they are suck-ups, they'd probably do anything to get what they wanted," Lita answered.

"Wait, Chris," Trish said, turning to him, "You're friends with Stephanie, do you know who the father is?"

"Well," he started.

"Of course he doesn't," Lita said, "Stephanie would keep this under wraps, I still say Kurt."

"Yeah, Kurt seems the most likely candidate."

A knock interrupted their gossiping and Lita once again got up to answer it. She was startled to see Stephanie on the other side, with her baby in her arms. Lita had to do a double take, wondering why Stephanie would come here in the first place, they had never been friends before.

"Hi, is Chris here?" Stephanie asked, "I looked everywhere else."

"Yeah, he's here, come on in," Lita said, stepping out of the way, so Stephanie could come in.

Stephanie looked at all the other people in the room, as they regarded her strangely. Obviously Chris hadn't told them about him being Tristan's father. She stood there for a second, feeling very out of her element, but she needed to talk to Chris and ask if he could watch Tristan.

"Hey Steph, what's up?" Chris asked, noticing her pensiveness at being here.

"Hey, well, I talked to my parents, they're surprisingly cool with everything," she said, aware of the four sets of eyes looking at her and Chris.

"Good, told you it wouldn't be so bad," he joked.

She laughed shortly, "Yeah, and my dad wanted me to join the production meeting, and I was wondering if you would watch Trist for me."

"Of course I will."

"Oh, thank you so much," Stephanie said, "I know it's stupid, but I really wanted to go to the meeting."

"No problem, I'm always up for seeing my baby girl," he said, taking Tristan from Stephanie.

It was then that four people gasped as they watched the display. Stephanie kissed Tristan's head, and set her bag down next to Chris before leaving the room quickly. Chris shifted Tristan to rest in the crook of his arm before looking up to his friends. They were all in a state of utter shock and disbelief. Not once in their investigation did they think Chris could be the father. Chris smiled innocently at them.

"YOU!" Lita screamed, "YOU'RE THE FATHER!"

"Shh, don't shout, Trist hates shouting," Chris said, running a calming finger down Tristan's cheek.

"Chris, you're not joking here are you?" Matt said.

"Why would I joke?"

"Oh my God," Trish said, "I can't believe this! Of all the people, oh my God, you're a Daddy!"

He laughed, "Yeah."

"Oh, can I hold her?" Lita asked, "Pretty please, I wasn't friends with Stephanie, so I didn't get to, but I'm friends with you, so can I please hold her?"

"Sure," he told her, standing up and walking over to her.

Lita gently took Tristan from his arms and held her carefully, supporting her head. Lita looked down and smiled at her friend's daughter. The baby was so adorable and looked like both Chris and Stephanie. She smiled up at Chris and then looked at Matt.

"I want one," she said.

"Great Chris. Give her ideas," Matt said.

"I can't help it."

"Chris, why didn't you," Jeff stopped, wondering how to phrase this, "Why weren't you in the picture before?" 

"Stephanie made a mistake, but she corrected it," Chris said, leaving it at that. They didn't need to know the whole truth.

Though he could sense there was more to the story, Jeff just nodded. It was obvious that something had gone down with him and Stephanie, but it wasn't their place to pry into other people's business. Chris just smiled as Tristan opened her eyes to look at Lita, wondering who this was. Her eyes darted around quickly, trying to recognize someone, and eyes falling on Chris, she settled down.

"Aww, she knows her Daddy," Lita cooed, "God Chris, she's beautiful."

"Thanks," he grinned.

"Oh, I can't stand it!" Trish said, "I wanna hold her."

Lita laughed as Trish rushed over and gently took Tristan from Lita. Trish held her and made baby noises to the infant. Tristan just looked up at her and Trish cooed at her. Matt and Jeff just rolled their eyes at the display. They were being so typically ga-ga over the baby. Tristan then began to cry loudly.

"Oh my God," Trish said, "I don't know what to do!"

"It's ok," Chris said, "Try rocking her."

Trish tried rocking her back and forth, but Tristan's yells just got louder, "Oh no! I broke your baby!"

Chris chuckled, "Here, let me take her."

Trish gratefully handed the baby over to Chris, relieved that she wasn't the one holding her anymore. They didn't have much experience around babies, and was freaking out because she thought she had been the one to make her cry. Chris rocked Tristan back and forth and she soon quieted down, looking up at him and reaching her little arms out.

"Oh, she wanted her Daddy!" Trish said, "That's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"Actually, I think she wants a bottle," Chris said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a bottle already filled with liquid.

He sat down on the couch and gave Tristan her bottle, which she sucked on greedily. Trish and Lita hovered over him, mesmerized by the baby. It was so little and adorable. When she finished her bottle and Chris had burped her, he decided to make his leave since he knew that Tristan would probably fall asleep and he didn't want to have to carry her around while she was asleep. He said his goodbyes, much to Lita and Trish's disappointment.

He walked down the hallway back to his and Stephanie's locker room as Tristan started to doze in his arms. He turned the corner and almost collided with someone walking the opposite direction. He made sure that Tristan hadn't been jostled and looked up to see none other than.........

Hunter Hearst Helmsley.


	33. Chapter 33

Talk about your awkward situations. He knew it was inevitable though. Chris knew the day would come sooner rather than later that he would have a confrontation with him. He was actually glad it was sooner. It would clear the air at least a little bit before things got really carried away and rumors ran rampant.  
  
"Hi," Chris said, not knowing any other way to start this conversation.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to not watch where I was going," he said, looking down.  
  
Tristan opened her eyes as she heard Hunter's voice. Chris took notice and could feel a pang of jealousy. Tristan recognized Hunter's voice. Granted she recognized his voice too, but it was different because Chris had only gotten to be with her for the past several days, while Hunter had an entire month and not to mention being around Stephanie when she was pregnant.  
  
"I wasn't looking either," Chris said, "And this feels like we just broke up and it's the first time we've seen each other since the break up."  
  
Hunter actually cracked a smirk, "You'd think that we would be able to not feel so weird. You know, in a way, we're in the same boat."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean, Stephanie did stuff to both of us that you could consider under-handed, but I know we both don't hate her."  
  
Chris sighed, "Very true. Look, I feel the need to explain some stuff to you, and what happened."  
  
"You don't need to do that," he said, his gaze falling on Tristan who was watching him intently.  
  
"But I do. I know how much Stephanie told you, and I know it's stupid, but I'm sorry for sleeping with your wife."  
  
Hunter shook his head, "You shouldn't be sorry. Because it was my fault for sleeping with Stacy. I shouldn't have cheated on Stephanie. I was the catalyst for this entire thing. I brought it on myself."  
  
Chris didn't know how to respond to that, because essentially he was right. He had been the one to cheat on Stephanie, which drove her to his arms. But that still didn't make everything suddenly better. There was bitterness and broken hearts in this whole scenario.  
  
"I still should've told her no," Chris said, "I should've been her voice of reason and instead I took her to bed."  
  
"Or she took you right?"  
  
"I guess it was mutual....or something, but it still didn't make it right."  
  
"No, but it was what I deserved. I didn't deserve to have her come back to me, I definitely didn't deserve to have a baby with her. It's actually a comfort to know that I didn't really let anyone down."  
  
"Oh," was Chris's only response.  
  
"I'm sorry that she kept it from you. I mean, if she had told me the truth, I don't know, I guess I would've been pissed, and would've tried to kill you. But I think I eventually would've accepted it."  
  
"She was terrified you wouldn't."  
  
"I know. She's partially right in being terrified. But we just weren't meant to be, I guess that's the only explanation. One thing bothers me though, did you know about Tristan?"  
  
"Yeah," Chris nodded, "I found out when Steph was around 3 months pregnant."  
  
"Why did you keep it a secret? I know you don't particularly like me, you should've been jumping at the chance to tear me down to size."  
  
"It wasn't my secret, it was Stephanie's, if she wanted to tell you, she had to do it."  
  
Hunter nodded, "Makes sense. So she was going to keep it a secret forever."  
  
"Pretty much. She made me sign some papers giving up parental rights," Chris said, a little choked up as he thought back to that night.  
  
"God, I'm so sorry," Hunter said, "I didn't know, and God, that must've been horrible for you."  
  
"It was," he said.  
  
"She mentioned the she couldn't do that to you anymore, and I feel somewhat responsible for you not getting to be around Tristan."  
  
"Don't feel bad," Chris said, shaking his head, "It's in the past and it's better left in the past."  
  
"Yeah...so Stephanie? How is she?"  
  
"Pretty good, she's moving in with me."  
  
"Makes sense, are you two together?"  
  
Chris shook his head, shaking that almost kiss from his head, "No, not together, she's staying in the guest room, or you know, what's now her room."  
  
"Yeah, and she probably wants to pick up her stuff from the house."  
  
"Yeah, actually we were going to go tomorrow and pick it up."  
  
"I'll make sure I'm not there," Hunter said, "I don't need any more awkward situations."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I better go," Hunter said, "Got a match. Um, would you mind if I held Tristan for just a second?"  
  
Chris didn't have to think about it, this man was suffering the same way he was not even a week ago, "Sure."  
  
Chris handed Tristan over to Hunter, who smiled as he took her in his arms. He stared down at her lovingly. He knew she wasn't his, but for a little while she was, and she'd always have a special spot in his heart. He kissed her cheek and gave her back to Chris, who she snuggled into immediately.  
  
"I just want to let you know, if you hurt Tristan or Stephanie," Hunter said, "I will hunt you down and kill you."  
  
"I don't doubt that for a second," Chris nodded.  
  
"Just letting you know."  
  
Hunter walked away and Chris was glad that was over. It hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be, thankfully. He walked back to his locker room and found Stephanie laying down, taking a nap. He decided to let her sleep since she was up most nights taking care of Tristan. He sat down on a chair and saw that Tristan too, was asleep. He went and put her in the portable playpen they had brought, covering her with a blanket. He watched the both of them sleep, truly happy.  
  
He looked at his watch and realized he needed to go on soon. He got his things and quickly changed. He went over to Tristan's make-shift bed and kissed his fingers before touching them softly to his cheek. He went over to Stephanie and didn't know why, but he kissed her cheek before he left. It was almost like an unconscious act. He stared back at them for a moment and then left to go to his match.  
  
Stephanie stirred as she heard the door close. She touched her cheek, which was still warm. Had Chris just kissed her cheek? Or had it all been a dream? It must've been a dream she thought to herself as she sat up, he wasn't even in the room. But as she looked over to the playpen and saw a sleeping baby in it, she knew Chris had to have been here, since Tristan was definitely not here when she fell asleep. She grabbed the remote to the television and put it on, seeing Chris cutting a pre-match promo. She smiled and turned down the volume so as not to awaken Tristan. Unfortunately it wasn't fast enough, because Tristan started wailing. Stephanie stretched her arms and walked over to the playpen.  
  
"Hey there beautiful, when did you get here?" Stephanie said, leaning down to pick her up. Tristan kept wailing and Stephanie felt her diaper, "Oh, someone needs a change."  
  
She changed Tristan's diaper quickly, having become a pro at it since her birth and then they settled down on the couch to watch the show. Stephanie gave Tristan a pacifier to suck on as Chris's match started. Stephanie smiled proudly as he got in some moves against Booker T, his opponent for the evening.  
  
"Look Trist, there's Daddy," Stephanie said while turning the little girl towards the television so she could see. Tristan just sucked happily on her pacifier.  
  
She watched as Chris had his best match in a long time. She figured it was because she had finally eased his mind of all the troubles that she had caused. That and also the fact that he had stopped drinking and wasn't going out there and wrestling drunk. She thought back to his matches in the past few months and he had not been doing well, but he was really on top of his game tonight. She smiled as he won his match and raised his hands triumphantly.  
  
Chris smiled as he walked backstage. He felt better than he had in a long time, and it really showed when he went out into the ring. He was actually sober while wrestling, which, in the past few months, had become such a foreign idea to him. He smirked to himself as he walked into his locker room and saw Stephanie and Tristan watching the show, well, Stephanie watching the show and Tristan just sitting there being a cutie.  
  
"You looked really good out there," Stephanie said as she looked up at Chris.  
  
"Thanks," he said, toweling himself off.  
  
"Tristan and I were watching. She said you have potential, but you need to tune up on some of your moves. I tried to tell her that you were doing the best you can, but she wouldn't hear it, she's so stubborn, I think she gets that from you."  
  
He laughed, "Oh yeah, if she's stubborn, that's all you."  
  
"I'm not stubborn," she cried indignantly.  
  
"Uh huh," he said sarcastically.  
  
"I take offense to that."  
  
"Of course you do, now while you try to convince yourself that you aren't stubborn, I'm going to go take a shower and then we can head on back to the hotel."  
  
Stephanie looked up at him sweetly, "Chris..."  
  
"What?" he said, looking at her briefly before grabbing some of his things to take into the shower.  
  
"Um, we don't need the hotel anymore," she told him.  
  
"Why? Are we going to sleep here?" he asked, "Or maybe in the car?"  
  
"No, well, the thing is...my parents wanted us to stay over tonight."  
  
"Oh," he said, frowning, "Well ok, I guess, I'll drive you guys to your parents, and then I'll pick you up tomorrow morning and we can go pack since Hunter said he wouldn't be there."  
  
"Whoa! Hold on! You talked to Hunter?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, it was.surreal, but not all that bad actually. He understood and he said he won't be there tomorrow so we can go get your stuff."  
  
"Wow," she said, "That's awfully big of him."  
  
"So is that ok with you? I drop you off and pick you up?"  
  
She shook her head, not thinking about Hunter anymore, and back to what she wanted to tell him in the first place, "Actually...you're invited too."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I mean, my parents want you to come over too. They said you're part of the family now, so you're invited."  
  
"I'm not so sure Stephanie, I mean, wouldn't it be uncomfortable, they only found out about me tonight."  
  
"I don't know, but I think they'd be awfully disappointed if you didn't show up."  
  
"Do you want me to come?" he asked, "Cause if you don't want me there, I won't go."  
  
"Come," she smiled, urging him on, "I'll need you to help me fend off my parents."  
  
He smirked, "Let me get a quick shower and then we'll go ok?"  
  
"Fine with me."  
  
It was later that evening and Stephanie was walking up the stairs in her parent's house, Chris walking up with her as she showed him where he was sleeping for the night. The guest room right next to hers would be his for the evening. Tristan had been asleep for hours, but they had been up and talking with Vince and Linda. They had been surprisingly nice to Chris, and it made Stephanie happy that they weren't angry with him, or grilling him as to why he slept with Stephanie.  
  
"You wanna say goodnight to Trist?" she asked as they walked up to her door.  
  
"I already said goodnight," he told her.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind looking at her while she sleeps, I mean, that's when she's cutest."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Yeah, she looks like a little angel."  
  
"I like when she's awake," he told her, "I don't know, I just like seeing her looking up at me."  
  
She smiled and opened the door to her room. The only light shone in from the bathroom, a thin line of light from the slightly ajar door. Stephanie and Chris walked over to the crib sitting next to Stephanie's bed. They looked down to where Tristan was sleeping peacefully. Chris leaned both his arms on the side of the crib and then put his chin on top of his arms as he stared down at her. He would never get tired of just looking at her. She was just the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life. He smiled as Stephanie emulated his stance and look down at the little girl.  
  
Chris yawned and went to sit on Stephanie's bed, sitting with his back on the headboard. Stephanie ran a finger down Tristan's arm and watched as the baby stirred softly before moving her arm. She backed away from the crib and went to sit next to Chris on the bed. He looked at her and she laid on her side to look at him.  
  
"So it wasn't so bad was it?" she asked.  
  
"No, not really, but I kept expecting your father to attack me or something," he admitted.  
  
"Why?" she said curious to know his answer.  
  
"Well, just because you know, you were married to Hunter, the big guy in the company and you had power and all that, and your dad really liked him. And now you're stuck with me. I mean, that's gotta be a shock to their systems."  
  
"You wanna know a secret?" she asked, leaning in closer to him, "My parents really never liked Hunter."  
  
"But they always acted like they did."  
  
"They only did that because I loved him."  
  
"Oh," he said, mulling it over, "So do you still love him?"  
  
Her mood turned dark for a moment, "I guess, in some ways, yeah, but I realized, he was right when he said that we didn't love each other in the right ways. But yeah, I still love him."  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered, coming down and lying so he was facing her.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For ruining your life."  
  
"You haven't ruined my life, far from it," she told him, "Don't think that any of this is your fault Chris. It was just the circumstances. Even if I hadn't had Tristan with you, Hunter and I would've still broken up, it was just not meant to be. I'm actually glad that I had Tristan with you and not Hunter."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Because the divorce would've been fifty times harder if we had a child. Or we wouldn't have even gotten divorced and would be living unhappily. You did me a favor actually."  
  
"You did me a favor too," he said faintly.  
  
"I did?"  
  
"You gave me a purpose."  
  
A whimpering started from the crib, followed by a long cry, "There's the baby girl now."  
  
Stephanie got up off the bed and went over to the crib. She leaned down to pick up Tristan and brought her to over to the bed, rocking her back and forth, whispering comforting words to the little girl. She sat down and laid Tristan in between her and Chris where he played with her little toes.  
  
"Hey there beautiful, you cranky," Chris said.  
  
"I think someone was feeling a little left out," Stephanie said as she rubbed Tristan's stomach slowly.  
  
"Aww, sweetie, if we had known that you wanted to join the conversation, we would've woken you up. You know we always love to hear your opinions on current events."  
  
"She is rather insightful for a six week old."  
  
"Yes, I thought her conjectures over the recent economy boosts were rather fascinating."  
  
"Yes, genius really."  
  
They both laughed at each other as Tristan blinked up at her parents. They were always doing this, it had become like an inside joke with them. They'd pretend that Tristan wasn't a baby and was actually older than she was. They realized it was stupid, but it was fun and made them feel like a real family. Stephanie laid her head down next to Tristan as Chris watched the both of them. He finally laid down next to Tristan on her other side, feeling fatigued, but wanting to lay there with his daughter. Pretty soon, they were all asleep, with Chris's arm snaked over both Stephanie and Tristan protectively.  
  
They looked like a real family. 


	34. Chapter 34

Stephanie walked into the house. It seemed so quiet, like it was sad or lonely or something. She had spent the better part of two years in this house, living with her husband in what she thought was a happy, peaceful existence. Now she would never enter it again and it seemed weighted by this thought. She stepped out of the way and let Chris in, and he looked around nervously, he had never been here before and it really seemed cold and impersonal, not exactly what he pictured Stephanie living in.  
  
"So this was your house?" Chris said, still looking around.  
  
"Yeah," she said, setting her keys down on the front table, "Why? Not what you imagined?"  
  
"Not really, I mean, it's too...."  
  
"Clean," she supplied.  
  
"Yeah," he chuckled, not knowing how to put it delicately.  
  
"That's Hunter. He's like a neat freak or something. I used to drive him up the walls."  
  
"I'm sure you did. This place is spotless."  
  
"Yeah, he has a maid come in twice a week. Come on, I'll show you up to Tristan's old room so we can start packing stuff up."  
  
"Fine."  
  
She started going up the large staircase in the foyer and Chris followed diligently. His house was nice, and quite large, but this place was huge, and very, very white. It was almost too pristine, like a museum. He half expected little red ropes closing off certain areas. They got upstairs and there was a long hallway filled with doors.  
  
"Did you like living here?" Chris asked.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Well, I mean it's huge. Did you want a huge house?"  
  
"This was Hunter's house before I met him," she explained, "I just moved in with him. I was living in an apartment before I married him. Not too far from my parents because they didn't want me living all alone, but I persuaded them to let me."  
  
"Oh, so you didn't pick it out together?"  
  
"Nah, I just moved in. Kind of like what I'm doing with you."  
  
"Do you want to move into a different place, we can pick one out together or something?" he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Seeing where she used to live made his home seem more of a dump and not up to her standards in the slightest. He had the money to buy his own home, but had never really needed more space than he had.  
  
"Chris, you don't need to move to please me," she laughed, "I like your house, it's nice, and it's not too big, but it's still big. Did you know, half of these rooms are just filled with junk that Hunter has?"  
  
"I didn't know that."  
  
"Yeah, he has eight bedrooms in this place and I think four of them actually have a function. That's just crazy. I like your house because it's much more cozier you know. God, would you have bought a house for me?"  
  
"Well, I just want to make living with me as easy as possible."  
  
"I'm not going to make you buy me a freaking house to make it easier. Maybe you can make sure that you don't leave any dirty clothes around, and that's probably the extent of how you can make living with you easier."  
  
"I just want you to feel comfortable enough to call it your home too."  
  
"I will, it'll just take some getting used to," she said as she stopped in front of the door, "Ok, here we are."  
  
"Tristan's room?"  
  
"Yup," she said, "Prepare yourself."  
  
He was about to ask what he had to be prepared for, but she opened the door before he could. He was somewhat in awe of it all. The room was a pale pink shade and it was filled to the brim with toys and furniture and everything looked so perfect and in place. He almost felt bad that he had to disrupt it all.  
  
"You're thinking about how nice it is huh?" she said as she walked fully inside.  
  
"Yeah...."  
  
"Well, when you're stuck at home with nothing to do, you do crazy things like design a nursery."  
  
"You did all this?"  
  
"Pretty much, yeah."  
  
"I don't wanna touch anything," he said, setting the unfolded boxes on the ground next to him.  
  
"Don't worry about it, just get all the stuff and I'll get all the stuff I need out of my room and other various places and we'll go."  
  
"Quick and painless huh?"  
  
"I hope so. I'll see you in a bit. If you need me, I'm at the door at the end of the hallway."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
Stephanie giggled and walked down the hallway slowly, taking in everything around her. She had once lived here. It hadn't even been two weeks since she had called this place home. Now she was leaving it, leaving something so familiar, for something not so familiar. She entered her old bedroom and happy memories assailed her. Times when she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she had loved Hunter. That time had passed, but the memories, they don't fade away so easily.  
  
She walked into her closet and looked at all the clothes hanging there. Hunter had had to relinquish the closet to her because she had so many clothes. She started taking things out slowly and packing them into the boxes and suitcases she had brought with her. She could smell Hunter's cologne in the room, and she thought back to when they were happy, and spent all their time in this bedroom. It seemed like dreams now, that none of it had ever really happened.  
  
She finally finished with the clothes and went to work on all her jewelry and other things that were scattered around the room. She was almost amazed at how much stuff she had seemed to acquire over the past couple years. She stared down at some of the necklaces and things that he had given her. She fingered a diamond bracelet he had gotten her about a month ago, when they had brought Tristan home from the hospital. It had been just a one of those days kind of present, just to make her smile.  
  
She didn't know when she had started crying, but when she looked up in the mirror, she found that her eyes were red and her cheeks stained with tears. She had thought she could make it through this day without tears, that she would just come in, get her stuff, and then get out again. But of course, that wasn't the case, not when so much of her life had occurred in this house. She sat on the bed and put her hands over her face, trying to hide her tears.  
  
Chris finished packing all of the stuffed animals and assorted toys. He didn't have a Sharpie with him, so he went to go ask Stephanie if she had one. As he neared the room, he could hear her softly crying. He knocked on the door, but he guessed she couldn't hear him over her crying. He opened the door and saw her sobbing while sitting on the edge of the bed. He went over and kneeled in front of her.  
  
"Steph, what's wrong?" he asked softly.  
  
Stephanie jumped unconsciously, not hearing Chris walk in. She wiped her eyes and looked at him and saw the pity on his face. She sniffled and tried to smile, trying to ease the situation, but it wasn't working. She felt him put his hands on her knees and rub them gently, trying to calm her down.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to get emotional."  
  
"No worries, you're allowed, you just broke up with your husband," he said, giving her a supportive smile.  
  
"Yeah," she sniffled.  
  
Chris reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a tissue for her, which she accepted gratefully. She blew her nose and he handed her another tissue with which to dry her eyes. He waited until she calmed down before he started asking her any questions. He knew that she was going to have a rough time with this. It was never easy to pick up and move on, even though you knew it was necessary.  
  
"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked, getting up to sit next to her.  
  
"You know, I know that the circumstances under which I got married weren't the best, but still, when you marry someone you expect it to last forever, and then when it doesn't it's just a huge disappointment."  
  
"I'm sure it is. I've never been married, but I always hope that when I do, it'll stick you know. And then we'll have that perfect life, nice house, lots of kids."  
  
She looked at him, "Everyone wants that. I'm sure you'll find it someday."  
  
"And you'll find your special person."  
  
She turned her head to look at him. He seemed so sincere that she could almost believe him when she said that. But as of this moment she didn't think there was anyone for her out there. She had screwed up her life so much that she didn't really deserve anyone. What made him think that she was even allowed to have someone after she had broken hearts and lied to so many people?  
  
"No, I won't," she said, shaking her head.  
  
"Steph, you will find someone you love more than you ever thought possible, and you'll wonder how you ever lived without them."  
  
"So you say," she said, "But look at my life right now. I'm getting divorced, I have a baby with one of my friends who only had sex with me because he pitied me, and I'm just a mess."  
  
Chris held her, "If you're a mess, than I'm a mess too."  
  
"No."  
  
"Steph, look at me, I had sex with my friend and got her pregnant, told her I loved her, which she didn't reciprocate, so I basically looked like a fool, and then I turn to drinking, I'm a mess too."  
  
"Yeah, that is pretty bad," she said, laughing through her tears.  
  
"Yeah, and this is why we're together, because we need each other to keep each other sane."  
  
"Keep me sane Chris," she said.  
  
"Looks like you're just about done here, so let me start loading stuff up and we'll leave ok."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"I'll give you a minute to.....say goodbye."  
  
"Thanks," she told him gratefully.  
  
She sat there as he started to grab some of the boxes, almost dropping them on the way out the door. She stood up and looked around, just taking in the surroundings. She knew she would probably never look at this room again. She could still hear the faint echoes of laughter, tears, and love in the room. It almost made her not want to leave. She didn't know how long she stood there, gazing upon her former abode, but before she knew it Chris had come back in the room. She turned to him and then noticed that all her boxes were gone.  
  
"I'm done," he said tentatively, not wanting to invade on her moment, but wanting her to know that he was ready whenever she was ready.  
  
"Ok, so I guess we should go," she said, though her voice told him that she didn't want to leave.  
  
"It's ok if you want to stay for a few more minutes."  
  
She sighed; she didn't want to stay. That would only prolong the inevitable. She had to turn around and walk out that door, and she couldn't look back. She was starting a new life now, and that meant that she had to leave her old one. She inhaled loudly and let out her breath slowly, taking in the room one more time.  
  
"I'm ready," she told him.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
She turned to him and walked to the door, kissing him on the cheek before she left the room, "I'm positive. Let's go pick up Trist and go home. Then we can start the task of unloading all this stuff."  
  
He just nodded as she walked downstairs and he followed her, marveling at the kind of strength she had. He knew this was difficult for her, but here she was, acting as if it were nothing. He had to admire that about her, she was so strong and brave, even when she didn't need to be. She walked to the door and held it open for Chris as he walked out. She took one last look around, smiling softly. She closed the door silently, though she could feel the echoing into the empty house.  
  
She walked to Chris and grabbed his hand. She needed to know she wasn't alone in this. He grasped it tightly in his as they walked to the car. She could almost believe that they were a couple in love or something of that nature. When she needed him, he was always there. She knew he had said he would always be there for her, but she had taken it to mean that he would always be there to help her with Tristan, but he was proving her wrong. He was there for her too, and she couldn't ask for anyone better. She didn't even look back as they drove away.  
  
She was starting a new life. 


	35. Chapter 35

"You know, it's amazing how much stuff an infant can have," Chris said, walking into the arena, carrying three bags of stuff. The first one was his wrestling gear, and the other two were Tristan's.

"Well, when you're a Princess, you're supposed to have lots of things," Stephanie said, looking at him as she held Tristan to her.

"Oh, did you hear that Trist, you're a Princess."

"Oh, you know you're going to spoil her rotten," she teased.

"Of course I'm going to spoil her," he answered, leaning over to kiss her head, "She'll take after her Mommy." 

"I guess royalty runs in the family," she laughed.

"Great, I'm stuck with two spoiled girls."

Stephanie scowled at him as he chuckled. They were at the SmackDown tapings and Stephanie didn't want to miss it. Tristan's doctor had said that it was fine if Tristan traveled regularly, so they had mutually decided that Stephanie and Tristan would travel with Chris on Monday's and Thursdays, to and from shows. It worked out for the both of them, Stephanie got to go to work, which she loved, and Chris got to be around Tristan all the time, which he, of course, loved.

"You should feel lucky."

"Oh, I am, I am," he said as they walked into their locker room for the evening.

"Oh my God!" Stephanie exclaimed as she looked at the room, "This HAD to be done by my parents."

Chris stepped into the room and was impressed by the spread. The room had their normal elements, a leather couch and some chairs, a television, and an adjoining bathroom, but there were a few extras in the room. There was a really nice looking crib and a changing table against the wall.

"Wow."

"I have to go thank my parents," she said, walking over to the crib and looking inside, "This thing is nice."

"Nothing's too good for my granddaughter," Vince's voice boomed as he walked into the room.

"Daddy, thank you for this, it's lovely," she to him, going over to hug him with one arm.

"It's the least I can do for my granddaughter," Vince said, taking Tristan from Stephanie's grasp.

"Are you saying that this will be here every show we come to?" Chris asked.

"Yes it will, and then when she gets older, she'll have so many things everyone will be jealous of her."

"I'm already kind of jealous," Chris laughed.

"Do you want a crib too?" Stephanie asked playfully.

"Well, a bed would be nice," he joked back, "You know, take a nap during the show, rest up."

"You would," she said, giving him a look.

"How are you three?" Vince asked, looking down at Tristan who was looking up at him curiously.

"We're fine Daddy," Stephanie told him, "I'm all moved into Chris's, and so is Tristan. It's really beautiful down there."

"That's good to hear, although I'm going to miss the two of you being so close."

"We'll be on the road," Stephanie said, "Tristan's doctor said that it's ok for her to travel, so you'll see us all the time."

"Well, that's good to hear at least, but when you're not around, you better be taking good care of my daughter and granddaughter," Vince said to Chris.

"Of course I will."

"Well, I've got a meeting with some lawyers at the moment, so if you'll excuse me," he said, handing Tristan back to Stephanie, "I'll see you later."

"Bye Daddy."

Vince left and Stephanie went over to look at the crib in the room again. She set Tristan down inside, looking down at her. She looked comfy, so Stephanie let her stay there as she went over to Tristan's bag. Chris went to his own bag and busied himself with taping up his wrists for the evening. Stephanie searched through the bag, and then cursed to herself.

"Chris, we have a problem."

"What?" he asked, looking over to her.

"We need more diapers," she answered.

"Don't we have enough?"

"I thought I packed more, but I only have one, and that's supposed to last me all night. That won't last me a couple hours."

"Ok, do you want me to go get some right now?"

"Would you?"

"Of course," he said, getting up, "I've got the time."

"Great," she said.

Chris smiled at her and then grabbed his coat, slipping it on as he left the room. He walked out of the arena and out to his car. As he arrived as his car for the evening, he saw someone just arriving, and it turned out to be Victoria. He turned to her car and saw her grabbing her stuff.

"Hey," Chris called out, being nice.

"Oh, hey Chris," Victoria answered, glancing over to his car, "Where are you going? The show is inside the arena."

"Oh, diaper run," he chuckled.

She laughed, "Oh yeah, I had heard you were Stephanie's baby's father. Congratulations.

Chris grinned like a little kid, "Yeah, thanks, it's great."

"Well, I'll let you go get the diapers, you don't want to be without those."

"Bye," Chris said in a friendly tone, before getting into his car.

He drove to the nearest store and hopped out of his car. He went inside and glanced around quickly trying to spot the baby items aisle. Finding it, he went to where the diapers were kept. He laughed to himself as he picked up the brand he needed. He didn't think he'd ever get used to going on a diaper run. Instead of alcohol and junk food, he was now buying diapers and baby formula. His life had gone from bachelor to father in such a short little while, but would he trade it back, not on your life.

He paid for them and hopped back into his car to head back to the arena. He felt a little silly walking down the hallways with diapers under his arm, but he figured everyone knew by now that he was Tristan's father and that he would be carrying diapers if anything else. He went into his locker room, to find Stephanie holding a wailing Tristan.

"Hey, what's wrong with the baby," Chris said, throwing down the diapers onto an empty table.

"She's cranky and I can't get her to stop crying," Stephanie said, trying to calm Tristan down by rocking her gently back and forth.

"You want me to try?" Chris asked, noting that Stephanie was looking a little bit haggard. He was sure he was too, but Stephanie was the one who usually got up at night because she was the one who fed Tristan.

"Oh, I'd love you if you did," she said, sighing gratefully as she handed Tristan over to Chris.

"Hey there baby girl," Chris said, looking down at Tristan, "Why were you crying? Were you crying because you wanted me to come carry you?"

Tristan just kept on crying.

"Ok, obviously, that's not the reason," Chris laughed, "Maybe if I walk her around a bit the movement will help her calm down."

"Ok," Stephanie said, starting to look a bit worried at the excessive crying, "You don't think she's sick do you?"

Chris felt her forehead, "I don't think so, here, you rest in here ok, because you've had it rough the past few days and I'll walk her around outside."

"You're the best," Stephanie said, closing her eyes and leaning against the couch.

"Yeah, I knew that, but thanks."

Chris left the room, still holding the crying baby. He walked slowly up and down the hallways, whispering soothing words to the infant and rocking her slowly. She eventually quieted down, but he kept walking around, not wanting her to start crying again. He walked down the hallway and almost bumped into Victoria. He was going to have to learn to look up while he was with Tristan, as his gaze tended to wander to his little girl.

"You again," Victoria said, smiling as she walked over, "Did you get to the store alright?"

"Yeah, safe and sound and with plenty of diapers."

Victoria looked down at Tristan, "She's adorable."

"Thanks," he said, then looked down at Tristan, "You're lucky you quieted down sweetie or else everyone would've thought you were a devil child."

"Oh, was she crying?"

"I'm surprised you didn't hear her screaming and crying from the other side of the arena," he joked. Tristan gurgled, "Oops, she heard me."

"You seem so comfortable with her," she noticed, "Like a natural dad or something, I bet you'll be great."

"Wow, that's such a nice compliment."

"It's true," she said, looking up at him, a smile on her face.

Chris couldn't help but smile back. He had always thought that Victoria was really beautiful, with her striking features and jet-black hair that set her apart from the rest of the divas. He might have to ask her out sometime, he figured they could have a good time together. They already had a good rapport, and it wasn't like he was attached to anyone at the moment.

Chris looked down and saw Tristan dozing off, "I better bring her back to the locker room before she falls asleep."

"Ok, I'll see you around," she told him.

"We both work here right?"

"Yeah, see ya Chris."

He walked back to his locker room and saw Stephanie reading a magazine as he walked inside. She looked on happily as she realized that Tristan had calmed down considerably. Chris put Tristan in her new crib and rubbed her tummy a little when she started whimpering a little at having to leave her daddy's arms.

"You got her to calm down," Stephanie whispered, walking over.

"Yeah, she just needed a nice walk, get some fresh air and all that."

Stephanie looked down at her, "Good. But you were gone so long that you forgot you have a match coming up against Matt Hardy."

"Damn," Chris said, rushing to get his things together.

Chris managed to get ready just in time and ran down to the gorilla for his match. He was almost out of breath as he extended his arms in his usual entrance stance. He walked down to the ring cockily, like he always did and got in the ring to pose on the ropes before getting hit from behind by Matt Hardy.

Surprisingly enough, considering Matt was in it, the match was more ground-based then air-based. But that might have been because Chris had the clear advantage through the entire match and didn't let up. Even when Matt hit the Twist of Fate it was no match for Chris's skills and he quickly put Matt in the Walls to end the match with a tap out.

Stephanie had taken a limo back to the hotel before he had so that she could put Tristan to bed and not have to move her around when she had been sleeping for hours, so he was all alone as he made his way to his car later that evening. He yawned as he stuck his keys into the ignition and drove back to the hotel. Grabbing his bag, he headed for the elevators and laughed as he saw who was waiting for one.

"We have to stop meeting like this," he said as he approached Victoria.

She turned her head to look at him, "You again?"

"Yeah, it seems we keep ending up at the same place at the same time," he told her as they got on the elevator.

"Odd little coincidence," she laughed.

"Yeah, or maybe I should just ask you out and get it over with?"

"Wow, subtly thy name is NOT Chris Jericho," Victoria said, "And though that was about as uncouth an invite as I've ever received, I'll accept your invitation. Just give me a call."

"I would, if I knew your number," he told her.

She grabbed a piece of paper out of her purse and a pen and scribbled down her phone number on it before handing it to him, "There you go, now you know where to reach me. This is my floor."

She got off with a little wave towards him and he smiled as the doors closed on her, the last thing he saw being the tips of her long hair. He rode the elevator up a few more floors and got off at his own floor, going down to the end of the hall and sticking in his key card so he could enter the room. The room was quiet and he figured that Stephanie had gone to bed as well. He walked into their bedroom, two beds and saw her reading with a small bed light on.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi," she responded, "About time you got back."

"Why is that?"

"You have a message on your phone that keeps beeping."

"Oh, I thought I had it with me," he answered.

"I don't know, it was in Tristan's bag, it started beeping, so I turned it off so that it wouldn't disturb her."

He nodded and went over to grab the phone from the nightstand. He turned it on and listened to his messages, and the message was from his mother, asking why he hadn't been calling them lately, and that she was worried because she hadn't heard from him. Chris grimaced as he realized he had been so caught up with Stephanie and Tristan that he hadn't talked to his parents in a while, when he usually called every couple of days.

"Chris," Stephanie started, seeing his face in the dim light, "Who was it?"

"It was just my mom," he told her, "I haven't talked to her in a while and she was worried."

"Oh," she said, "So she doesn't know about Tristan?"

"I haven't really gotten the chance to talk with her about it," he said, "I mean, we're still adjusting to the idea."

"You could always call her and tell her."

"Yeah, I could............"

"But?" Stephanie said, sensing a but in his voice.

"Or we could just go up there and tell them."


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: I hope you guys are still enjoying the story, and thanks for the reviews. :)  
  
~  
  
"Are you ready to meet my mommy and daddy?"  
  
Tristan looked up at him from her baby swing and reached out her hands. Chris grabbed her little foot and wiggled it around, causing a smile to cross her face. Chris did a double take, then yelled out for Stephanie. She came rushing into the room, fearing that something was wrong with her daughter, and seeing Chris hovering over Tristan only worried her more. Chris motioned her over.  
  
"Chris, what's wrong?" she asked frantically.  
  
"Nothing, just look at her," he said cryptically.  
  
Stephanie looked down at the little girl and didn't notice anything drastically different; maybe she needed a change. Chris tickled her foot, causing another sparkling baby smiled to cross Tristan's face. Stephanie's hand instinctively went over her mouth as she saw her little girl smile for the first time. She could feel those tears coming to her eyes again.  
  
"Oh my God," Stephanie cooed, "She has the cutest smile."  
  
"Yeah, I think so too," he told her, "I guess she's just excited about going to meet her grandparents, who will inevitably spoil her."  
  
"I guess once they get over the shock of her," Stephanie said, picking up Tristan, "Are you just a happy baby?"  
  
Tristan smiled and rested her head against Stephanie. Stephanie took her upstairs to get her changed out of her pajamas. They were all leaving soon to go to the airport. Stephanie had been reassured that his parents wouldn't really mind at all having them show up, and most of all about Tristan being Chris's daughter. They had been goading him about kids and all that anyways, and they were sure to be ecstatic about a having a little baby they could show off.  
  
"I can't wait to see my parent's faces," Chris said as he walked into the nursery where Stephanie was putting some overalls on Tristan, "They are going to love my little baby-waby."  
  
Stephanie looked at Chris oddly, "Did you just call her your little baby- waby?"  
  
"Yeah...."  
  
Stephanie snickered, "God, who are you and what have you done to the real Chris Jericho?"  
  
"Mommy's laughing at my Tristan," Chris pouted. Tristan smiled at him, "Geez, even she's against me."  
  
"Bwhehof shieohg boeh," Tristan babbled incoherently.  
  
"I think that was baby for 'Daddy, you're a dork,'" Stephanie said, tying Tristan's little shoes.  
  
"Well, now I know not to talk to you anymore," Chris said, as Stephanie stood Tristan up on the table, "You're the meanest 7 week old I've ever met."  
  
"Hey! Don't mess with the baby," Stephanie said, holding Tristan to her, "She'll beat you up."  
  
"Yeah, I know, or kill me with all the cuteness," Chris said, kissing Tristan's head, "We better get going to the airport though, if we wanna make our plane."  
  
"So you said your parents have no clue that you're coming up?"  
  
"Nope, none at all," he said, grinning impishly, "Total ambush."  
  
"They better like us," she said as they walked down the stairs, "I don't want to have to go hotel hunting."  
  
"They'll like you, I swear," he told her as he loaded the trunk of the car, as Stephanie strapped Tristan into the car-seat, "Maybe because you bore my child and all, but I'm sure they'll like you as a person too."  
  
"Well, I'm glad that I could be of such service to you, you know, having your kid and all," she smiled sarcastically.  
  
"Oh, you were, trust me," he laughed, "Did you get her dog?"  
  
"Of course I got it, I practically brought everything she owns."  
  
"Ok, ok...."  
  
He got into the car, strapping on his seatbelt before pulling out of the driveway and driving to the airport. He and Stephanie chatted about the trip and what they needed to check in, and what they needed to bring onto the plane with them. Tristan babbled to herself in the backseat, causing her parents to laugh. They arrived at the airport and Chris pulled into a spot.  
  
"I get the bags, you get the baby?" he asked.  
  
"Sounds like a plan," she told him, "Can you handle all the bags by yourself though?"  
  
"I think so, if you can just get the car-seat," he told her.  
  
"The car-seat in addition to her carrier," she mulled it over, "Yeah, I think I can get that."  
  
By the time they got everything, they were bogged down by many bags, especially Chris. He had Stephanie's suitcase, his suitcase, a couple bags of Tristan's things, and then her toy bag. Stephanie had Tristan in her carrier, the car-seat, her purse and Tristan's diaper bag. They looked as if they were moving and not just going on a trip for a few days.  
  
"I shudder to think what it's going to be like when she's a teenager, and with the two of you combined, I'll be lugging around trunks or something," he huffed as he struggled to carry everything.  
  
Stephanie found his choice of words a little odd. He was implying that he and Stephanie would be together still when Tristan was a teenager, judging by the way he said he would be lugging around their things when Tristan was older, not her things. How would he know if they'd still be living together, or if they had both gotten married? Unless they got married to each other, which she didn't want to think about right now.  
  
They made their way slowly to the baggage check-in and managed to get rid of most of the stuff, save for a few choice items. They went to the check- in to receive their boarding passes and finally got a chance to sit down and wait for the plane. Chris went up to get a water for him and Stephanie as she sat there with Tristan. Tristan was busy staring out the large picturesque windows at the planes going by, being stimulated by the large carriers.  
  
"Here you go," Chris said, startling Stephanie out of her thoughts.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, sipping his water.  
  
"You're parents won't be mad will they?"  
  
"Why would they be mad?"  
  
"Well, I mean, over the fact that we have a daughter together and we've never been a couple, and we're not married or even in love."  
  
"I do love you as a friend Stephanie," he told her, "That has to count for something."  
  
"Yeah, but still, we don't exactly have a real relationship, and I don't want your parents to be upset with you," she answered.  
  
"They won't be," Chris answered, comforting her by pulling her closer with an arm, "And in the off-chance that they are upset, then I'll just have to sit them down and tell them they better accept it or I'm out of their lives."  
  
"How can you say that, they're your parents?"  
  
"Tristan is my daughter," Chris said seriously, "If you think for one second I would choose anyone over her, you're crazy."  
  
"You really love her huh?" Stephanie said, knowing the answer already, but feeling the need to say that.  
  
"More than I've loved anything, even wrestling....even myself."  
  
She smiled at that as they announced the plane was boarding soon. Since Stephanie and Chris were traveling with an infant they got to pre-board the plane and took their seats in the first class cabin, strapping in Tristan's carrier in the seat across from them so they could watch her.  
  
"I love her that much too," Stephanie said softly, staring at her little girl, "She's...everything I've ever wanted in my life."  
  
"Mine too."  
  
Stephanie looked down, the smile on her face too bright, and she didn't want Chris to notice. She was just happy that Chris wanted to be involved in Tristan's life. She had always heard stories about women who had gotten pregnant and the baby's father completely disappeared. Now, while she knew Chris couldn't disappear completely, since they worked for the same company, he could've just not gotten involved in Tristan's life. Of course, she might still have Hunter, but she would've told the truth regardless. All in all, she was just glad that Chris had taken such an active part in Tristan's life....and her own for that matter.  
  
She sat there thinking through the entire flight and Chris didn't want to disturb her. He just sat there, Stephanie occasionally dropping her head onto his shoulder, watching Tristan who drifted off to sleep soon after the plane had taken off, waking up every now and then. He looked out the window and thought about his life as it was right now. Here he was, with a family, granted he and Stephanie weren't together or married, they were still a family, and he still felt responsible for the two girls he was with at the moment. He felt content with where his life was right now. He knew his parents would be surprised by these turn of events, but he knew they would be ecstatic to find out that they had a granddaughter.  
  
"What're you thinking about?" Stephanie asked as the plane prepared to make it's landing.  
  
"Just thinking about my life," he told her, turning his head to look into her inquisitive blue eyes.  
  
"And how bad it is?" she joked.  
  
"Never," he replied, "Just thinking about how different it is."  
  
"Good different or bad different?"  
  
"Very good different."  
  
Stephanie nodded and turned to look straight ahead as the plane touched down. She could feel her heart beating a little quicker as she realized they were closer to their destination than ever before. She grabbed Tristan and her things and she and Chris got off the plane. They headed down for baggage claim, waiting to pick up all their things. Once that task was finished, they headed for the rental car desk to pick up their car. After getting their keys and taking a short walk to the area where the rentals were parked they were on their way.  
  
Chris drove through the familiar streets as Stephanie looked out the window. So this is where Chris had grown up for the most part, when he wasn't traveling around with his dad while he played hockey. The city looked nice, from what she could see at this accelerated pace. Soon they were driving through a nice suburb and Stephanie looked at all the nice houses. She wasn't even aware how close they were until they pulled into a driveway to a cozy-looking, two story white house with blue trim.  
  
"Here we are," Chris said, taking off his seatbelt, "Home sweet home."  
  
"Is this where you grew up?" Stephanie asked, looking out the front windshield at the house.  
  
"Pretty much," he said, looking around for a moment, "My dad's car isn't here, I hope he's home. I wanted to tell them together."  
  
"Well, if he's not," Stephanie said, "We can just wait to tell your parents."  
  
"How will I explain you then, and how will I explain Trist?"  
  
"Just say I had been talking about taking a vacation, and you had overheard and knew you were coming home and invited me along," she said.  
  
"You are one damn good liar," Chris said, "Makes me wonder how Trist will turn out."  
  
"Jerk," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt and going to get Tristan.  
  
"Aww, you know I was joking," Chris said, zipping up his jacket. It was rather cold outside, such a drastic change from Florida.  
  
"Are you getting our stuff?" Stephanie asked.  
  
"I'll get it after we go inside, I don't want you to have to wait with Tristan out here, it's cold and I don't want her getting sick."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Stephanie grabbed Tristan's carrier, setting it on the ground before taking Tristan out of her car seat. She set Tristan carefully into her carrier and then buckled her into that as Tristan reached her hands out, looking like she was stretching. Stephanie rubbed Tristan's stomach a little, Tristan smiling at the contact. Stephanie smiled too, still excited that her daughter had smiled for the first time.  
  
"Are you ready yet?" Chris asked, standing at the beginning of the walkway to the front door.  
  
"Yeah," she said, "Tristan was just showing off her smile."  
  
"Oh really, what a charmer," Chris said, then looked at Tristan all bundled up in her jacket and hat, "Wow, you look all nice and warm."  
  
"Mommy thought ahead and put your warm clothes on after we got to the airport."  
  
"Good thinking," he said, "Now come on, it's freezing out here, I wanna go inside."  
  
"Geez," Stephanie muttered than turned to follow Tristan, "Seems Daddy is a Mama's boy Trist."  
  
"I heard that," Chris said from in front of her, not bothering to turn around.  
  
"You were meant to," she called back.  
  
They got to the front door and Chris rang the doorbell a few times, and by few, he meant about ten times. Stephanie rolled her eyes, someone was being quite the impatient one. Stephanie stood there, looking down at Tristan, who was looking around curiously. Chris could hear someone coming to the door, and he motioned for Stephanie to just stand out of sight, which she complied to willingly.  
  
Chris's mother answered the door, a smile on her face and then a shocked look as she saw who was standing there, "Christopher!"  
  
"Hey Mom," Chris said, hugging her fiercely.  
  
"What in God's name are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I got your message the other night and I felt bad for not calling you, and to make up for that, I thought I'd just make a surprise visit."  
  
She hugged him again, "Oh, this is such a nice surprise! We thought you had dropped off the face of the planet."  
  
"Is Dad home?"  
  
"No, he just went out to pick up some groceries and run a few other errands," she said, "Oh, he'll be so glad to see you. He's going to a hockey game tomorrow night, and I'm sure he'd love to have you along."  
  
"Great," he said, then glanced to Stephanie, "I just have one more thing though. My friend Stephanie needed a vacation, and she didn't know where to go, so I invited her along, if that's ok with you?"  
  
"Of course, I love meeting your friends, you know they're always welcome," she told him, "Where is she?"  
  
"Right here," he said, gesturing for Stephanie.  
  
Stephanie stepped next to Chris, "Hello Mrs. Jericho."  
  
"I recognize you," his mother said, "You're Stephanie McMahon."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And please, call me Loretta," his mother looked down at Tristan, "And who is this little thing?"  
  
"This is my daughter Tristan," Stephanie said.  
  
"Well, we can't have a little baby out in the cold, come inside," Loretta said, stepping out of the way to let the three of them inside, "Here, let me take your coats and you can go into the living room and sit down. Would you like some hot chocolate?"  
  
"That'd be great Mom," Chris answered, "Do you want some Stephanie? My mom makes the best hot chocolate, she even puts marshmallows in it."  
  
"Sure," Stephanie smiled.  
  
"Is there anything I can do for your little girl Stephanie? Maybe warm up a bottle or something?"  
  
"Oh, that'd be great," Stephanie said gratefully, setting Tristan down momentarily to grab an already made bottle from Tristan's bag, "Just heat this for about 50 seconds."  
  
"Ok, go make yourselves comfortable," she answered, taking the bottle and the coats.  
  
Chris picked up Tristan's carrier, and they went into the rather spacious living room. Stephanie looked around and noticed lots of pictures of Chris around the house, many of them wrestling related. She stood in front of the wall, looking over at them, and then at some baby pictures that were hanging on the wall. Chris set Tristan's carrier down on the couch, and then took Tristan out of her carrier, taking off her coat and hat before picking her up. Then he walked over to stand behind Stephanie, looking at the pictures as well.  
  
"Can you tell I'm an only child?"  
  
She laughed, "You're everywhere."  
  
"Yeah, I know, what can I say? Proud parents and all that."  
  
"I can see that," she said, then stared at one of Chris's baby pictures, "You can tell."  
  
"Tell what?"  
  
"Look at Tristan and then look at this picture," she told him, taking Tristan from his arms, "You have so many similarities. She looks like you.....a lot like you."  
  
He looked at Tristan, "Not really, I mean, yeah, she does, but then she has brown hair and your nose. I think she'll have the McMahon chin too."  
  
"The McMahon chin?"  
  
"You know, with the chin dimple," he said poking Tristan's chin softly, a smile gracing her face, "You had to have noticed it."  
  
"Maybe, I don't know," she shrugged, "You had such blue eyes when you were little."  
  
"Are you saying my eyes aren't enchanting now?" he whispered breathily.  
  
She shoved him away, "Please, trying to get me in bed won't work."  
  
"Worked once," he joked.  
  
"Yeah, I was desperate at the time," she joked back.  
  
"Ok, here we go," Chris's mother said, walking into the room with two hot chocolates and a bottle sitting on a tray that she put down on the coffee table.  
  
"Thank you," Chris and Stephanie said as they took their glasses. Stephanie took a sip of the hot chocolate before putting it on the tray and going to grab the bottle. She set it down on the couch before shifting Tristan in her arms so it was more comfortable to feed her. Tristan sucked greedily from her bottle, obviously hungry, as Chris's mother smiled at the exchange before turning to her son. She didn't want to feel jealous of Stephanie, who had a child, and Chris who didn't, but she couldn't help but want a grandchild of her own.  
  
"So Christopher, what have you been doing that you couldn't call your parents?"  
  
"Work Mom," he said, "You know my life is hectic."  
  
"Too hectic to talk to us?"  
  
"Sometimes," he admitted sheepishly.  
  
"Did you hear that Stephanie, too busy to call his parents, but you see your parents quite a bit don't you?"  
  
"More than I'd like sometimes," she laughed, "I see them every week."  
  
"Well, we aren't as fortunate," Loretta said, "All we ask for is a phone call and he can't even do that."  
  
"Mom," Chris whined, "You know that I call."  
  
"Yes, once every month or so, and just enough to let us know he's still alive."  
  
"I can keep an eye on him for you," Stephanie said.  
  
"Wonderful," his mother laughed, "I need someone to keep tabs on him. I mean, you're a mother, you worry don't you?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"And Christopher, once you become a father, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. You worry about your children, and a phone call wouldn't hurt."  
  
Chris smirked as his mother was still oblivious to the fact that Tristan was his daughter. He caught Stephanie snickering to herself as Tristan finished sucking on her bottle. Stephanie brought Tristan up to her shoulder and rubbed her back until the little girl burped before going back to cradling her in her arms.  
  
Chris did worry about Tristan. Every time the little girl sneezed he'd get paranoid and wonder if she was sick. He knew what it was like to be that crazed parent. He imagined it would only get worse as time wore on and Tristan got older. He hated to think of what he'd be like when she was a teenager.  
  
"Yes Mom," he said obediently.  
  
Stephanie saw Chris's mom eyeing Tristan, "Would you like to hold her?"  
  
"Oh, I'd love to!" she exclaimed.  
  
Stephanie got up and handed Tristan over to Loretta. She looked down at the little baby, and cooed at her gently. Stephanie went back to sit with Chris as he watched his mother holding her granddaughter, even if she didn't know just yet that was who Tristan was. Chris's mother looked up and smiled at the two of them.  
  
"She's beautiful Stephanie," she said, "She can't be more than two months."  
  
"She's seven weeks," Stephanie answered.  
  
"Oh, still so young. But she's gorgeous. I don't have any grandchildren yet, though I would love it if I did."  
  
"Wow, that was subtle Mom."  
  
"All my friends have grandkids, and I always have to hear them go on and on about how cute their grandchildren are, or how smart, and I don't have anything to talk about, except my wayward son, who is nowhere near marriage or children. At this rate, I'll never have anyone to spoil."  
  
"I'm sure you will Mom," Chris said knowingly.  
  
"Stephanie, do you ever see him around any women?"  
  
"Can't say that I do," she said, looking over to smile at Chris.  
  
"See? He'll never settle down. He's a forever bachelor," his mother said, shaking her head, "I want something like this Christopher. If I showed this little girl's picture to all my friends, they'd be jealous. Because let me tell you, their grandchildren, and you didn't hear this from me, they look like trolls or something. But Tristan, did you say her name was...."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, she's the cutest baby I've ever seen," she told Stephanie.  
  
"Thank you," Stephanie smiled.  
  
"You and your husband must be so proud."  
  
"Oh, actually, I'm getting divorced," Stephanie said, "I guess that's why I needed a vacation."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, look at me, being terribly rude."  
  
"No, it's fine, it was mostly amicable," Stephanie nodded.  
  
"Still, it's always hard when a marriage breaks up," Loretta said, then rocked Tristan, "That's such an interesting name, Tristan, where did you think of it?"  
  
Stephanie swallowed, thinking back to that day, those times before Tristan was born. She looked over at Chris, who looked down for a moment, biting his lip. She remembered clearly when he had suggested the name for their daughter. The night he had told her that he knew he wouldn't get to be a father, the night he told her he would take a step back. She grabbed his hand quickly and gave it a squeeze before letting go.  
  
"Her father thought of it," Stephanie answered, "And I loved it so much that I knew she had to have it."  
  
"It was a good choice," his mother said.  
  
"Loretta! Who's car is out in the driveway?" they could hear Chris's father, Ted, yell as he walked in the door.  
  
"Come into the living room and find out!"  
  
Ted walked into the living room and was surprised to see other people there. Chris stood up and went over to his dad, shaking his hand and hugging him. Ted returned the embrace and then looked at the baby that Loretta was holding in her arms, looking at Chris questioningly.  
  
"Who's baby is that?" he asked.  
  
"This is Stephanie's baby," Loretta answered, "You know Stephanie, from Chris's job."  
  
"Oh, of course, I didn't recognize you for a second," he said, "Nice to meet you Stephanie."  
  
Stephanie shook hands with him politely, "Thank you."  
  
"She needed a vacation and Chris invited her along, because he was actually feeling guilty about not calling us."  
  
"Ahh, I see your mother has already started the guilt trip," Ted winked.  
  
"You know Mom," Chris said.  
  
"What an adorable baby," Ted said, looking down at Tristan.  
  
Tristan started crying then and Stephanie's ears perked up. Stephanie took Tristan back from Loretta and started rocking her back and forth. Tristan didn't stop crying and Stephanie got up to walk around. Chris looked over, wanting to help, but it would just seem really suspicious. Stephanie looked over at him and Tristan looked at him with tear-filled eyes as she kept crying.  
  
"I guess she didn't like me," Ted said.  
  
"I think she's just a little fussy because she didn't have a nap today," Stephanie said, "She didn't really sleep much on the plane."  
  
"Oh, poor thing," Loretta said.  
  
"She actually really likes to fall asleep in her Daddy's arms," Stephanie said, looking pointedly at Chris.  
  
"Oh, and the poor thing doesn't have her Daddy here!" Loretta exclaimed.  
  
Chris took a deep breath and looked to Stephanie, who was giving him an encouraging smile as she was still trying to calm down Tristan. He looked at her some more, wondering now if it was the right thing to do to, just showing up like this. He and Stephanie had a short conversation with their eyes, where she was basically telling him to get it over with now. He was scared, but he knew Tristan wanted him, and that overrode any fear he might have.  
  
"Actually, Mom," Chris started, "You may just get that wish for someone to show off to your friends."  
  
"Christopher, what are you talking about?" she asked.  
  
Chris got up and took Tristan from Stephanie holding her in his arms. Tristan calmed down almost immediately and cuddled into Chris's chest. Stephanie stroked Tristan's head as she started to doze off, securely in Chris's arms, where she loved to be. Chris leaned down to whisper to her. He looked up at his parents, who were sitting there wide-eyed, the truth not fully sinking in yet.  
  
"Mom, Dad, this is Tristan Melissa....Jericho," he said, giving a slight smile.  
  
His mother smiled dumbly, "What are you trying to say?"  
  
"Tristan is my little girl," he said point blank.  
  
"Christopher, don't joke around with our emotions like that," his mother said, "We know we push you to meet a nice girl and all, but you shouldn't lie like this just so we'll get off your back."  
  
"It's true," Stephanie added, "He is Tristan's father."  
  
"That's why we came here Mom. That's why Stephanie and Trist are here, and they're the reason why I haven't called lately, I've been so busy with my daughter that I couldn't call you guys."  
  
"So you're saying that you two are together and have a child?" Ted asked.  
  
"Well, we have the child, but we're not together," Chris said, "See, um, we made a mistake, and yeah, we got Tristan out of it."  
  
"Oh," Ted nodded, "I see."  
  
"You mean, you have had a child and you never told us!" his mother said, "How could you not tell us something that big?!?"  
  
"Well, um, Mrs. Jericho, you see," Stephanie stammered, not really sure if his parents wouldn't kill her after what she had done to her son.  
  
"She didn't know if it was mine or her husband's," Chris said quickly, "She realized there was no possible way it could be her husband's."  
  
"So you had an...affair?" his mother said, already sending Chris a disapproving look.  
  
"I had walked in on my husband sleeping with another woman," Stephanie said, "I left him, and Chris and I had a short relationship, he didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Oh," his mother said, relieved to find out her son wasn't a home-wrecker, then a smile slowly started to creep onto her face, "So you mean, that little girl is my granddaughter?"  
  
"Yeah Mom, she's all yours," Chris grinned.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, "So you can spoil her all you want, show off her picture to all your friends, hell, while we're here you can take her to show her off."  
  
"You mean, I can brag to all my friends about her, and how beautiful she is?"  
  
"Go for it," Chris said.  
  
His mother got up and rushed over to him, hugging him tightly, careful not to disturb Tristan. She then moved to Stephanie, whispering words of thanks into her ear as Stephanie hugged her back. Ted got up to give his own congratulations and to get a closer look at his granddaughter.  
  
"Thank you so much Stephanie," Loretta said again, "I can't believe I'm a grandma! Oh, wait until Betty and Maria here this one."  
  
Chris laughed, "I knew you would be ecstatic. I told Stephanie that you would be."  
  
"Oh, I'm so happy!" his mother exclaimed, "This is the best possible news I've ever heard!"  
  
Stephanie could see the relief that crossed Chris's face before he let his father hold Tristan, passing her off to him gently. Tristan was dozing quietly in Chris's arms, but had opened her eyes when she felt someone else's presence. She looked up at her grandfather and scrunched up her nose. Ted looked down, then looked up at Chris, a proud smile on his face. Stephanie stood off to the side, letting the family have their moment. Loretta was currently letting Tristan grab her finger as she discussed all the things they wanted to buy for her while she was here. Ted simply nodded in acquiescence, as Chris came to stand next to Stephanie.  
  
"Have I ever thanked you?" he told her.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I just want to thank you again. My parents, you know, it's like, they really wanted this."  
  
"I can tell," she giggled as they were still doting over Tristan.  
  
"Yeah, my mom is just going to brag about her until the cows come home."  
  
"Why did you lie for me Chris?" she asked, pulling him off into the other room.  
  
"What?"  
  
"When your parents were saying how they hadn't known about Tristan, you could've ratted me out with me asking you to give her up."  
  
"Same reason you lied for me when you said we actually had a relationship. We just wanted to spare my parents. Do they really need to know the particulars? They have a beautiful granddaughter, why tell them the truth when it would only hurt them?"  
  
"You're right. But thank you for lying anyways, it makes what actually happened a little easier to swallow."  
  
Chris pushed some of Stephanie's hair out of her face, "Yeah, I know."  
  
Stephanie looked up at him and smiled serenely, still being able to hear Chris's parents in the next room, still doting over their granddaughter. Chris smiled back and let his hand linger on the side of her head, running the rough pad of his thumb over her cheek slowly. Stephanie leaned into his touch, feeling the gentle way he cradled her face in his hand. He leaned in slowly, deliberately, licking his lips in torturous anticipation. She leaned her head in a little, ready to intercept his lips with her own. His lips gently caressed hers in the barest of touches when his cell phone rang.  
  
He cursed under his breath as he pulled away guiltily, grabbing his phone and taking a few steps away from Stephanie, his back suddenly to her as he answered his call, "Hello?"  
  
Stephanie sighed and looked down. What was that? That was the second time they had practically kissed, and it was the second time that she wanted him to kiss her. She bit her lip, try to savor Chris's touch on her lips, but it was too bare a kiss to properly remember what his lips had felt like. She stood there dumbly, not knowing if he was going to finish what he started or not.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"Victoria? Is that you?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah!" she said excitedly, "I got your number from Jeff."  
  
Stephanie's ears perked up as she heard the name Victoria. Why would Victoria, of all people, be calling Chris on his personal cell phone? She tried to listen in on the conversation without being too obvious about it. It wasn't like he had left the room or anything, he was right there, she could call this accidental listening.  
  
"Cool, so what's up?"  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you were doing anything after Raw on Monday? I know that you have your daughter, but if you don't have anything planned, I'd love to go out with you."  
  
"Hold on," he said, then turned to Stephanie, "Hey Steph, is it ok if I go out next Monday? I mean, if you don't need help with Tristan."  
  
Stephanie didn't know what to say. Something was urging her to say that she would need him on Monday to help with Tristan. But then she saw the hopeful look in Chris's eyes and couldn't do that to him. Why was she trying to sabotage his love life anyways? He could go out with anyone he wanted to, he wasn't her boyfriend or anything, just the father of her child.  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"Thanks," he told her, smiling, "Victoria, that's cool, I'm free."  
  
"Awesome," she said happily, "See you then."  
  
"Great, see you then."  
  
Stephanie felt sick to her stomach. 


	37. Chapter 37

"Oh, you should've seen my friends, they were downright jealous!"  
  
Chris looked up from his magazine as his mother walked in, holding Tristan's carrier. He smiled as he saw how happy his mother was. All weekend long she had been doting all over her granddaughter. She hadn't left the house unless Tristan was with her. Chris was pretty sure that everyone in Winnipeg knew that she had a new granddaughter.  
  
"Were they Mom?"  
  
"Yes, you wouldn't believe the looks on their faces," she laughed, "I could just picture them thinking about how ugly their own grandkids are when they saw Tristan."  
  
"Mom, that's not very nice."  
  
"It might not be, but it's true. I don't think their grandkids are the perfect angel that Tristan is. She's such a calm, happy baby."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
Loretta came over and sat next to Chris, who took Tristan out of her carrier and let her lean against his chest. Tristan shifted her head against his chest and yawned a little. He rubbed her back slowly as she grabbed a fistful of his shirt as she dozed off. Chris smiled and kissed her head before looking at his mother, who had a smile on her face.  
  
"If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I might never believe it," she said.  
  
"Believe what?"  
  
"You are just a natural father, I mean, I never thought that you would be such a calm father, not with how you usually are, which has always been bouncing off the walls."  
  
"Thanks Mom," he said sardonically.  
  
"I'm sorry sweetie, but it's true. Except with her, you're just, you look perfect with her in your arms."  
  
"I feel pretty perfect too."  
  
His mother cleared her throat, "Where's Stephanie?"  
  
"Dad took her on a tour of the city," he laughed, "I guess he wants her to get acquainted to it."  
  
"I hope she does, I want to see all of you more often now that I have that little one."  
  
"We'll definitely try Mom."  
  
"Now, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure, go ahead," Chris answered.  
  
"What's going on between you and Stephanie?"  
  
Chris froze for a moment, thinking back to a few days ago. He didn't know what had possessed him to kiss Stephanie, or practically kiss her since the moment he touched his lips to hers the phone had rung. He had just suddenly gotten the urge to kiss her, to kiss the life out of her. It had to be because of the moment, it wasn't like he had those kinds of feelings for Stephanie anymore. Not since she had rejected his love. Besides, he was going out with Victoria tomorrow night, and he was fairly sure that Stephanie had no romantic feelings towards him.  
  
"Nothing Mom," he finally answered.  
  
"I've seen you two together, and it doesn't look like nothing. Not to mention the fact that you have a child together."  
  
"Mom, trust me, nothing will happen between Stephanie and I, it just isn't meant to be," he sighed.  
  
"Why not? You two have a daughter, that seems pretty meant to be if you ask me."  
  
"I loved her Mom, I really did," Chris said, turning to look at his mother, "I loved her for a while, but she didn't love me back. I had to get over that, and I finally have, and I just.....I can't go back to that because I don't want to get rejected again."  
  
"Oh sweetie, when did you tell her all this?"  
  
He swallowed hard, "When she was still with her husband..."  
  
"Well of course she couldn't reciprocate your feelings if she was still married," she replied, "Have you tried talking to her now?"  
  
"I just don't want to disrupt anything. I'm happy right now Mom, happier than I've ever been. What if I fall in love with her and she doesn't feel the same way and takes Tristan away from me?"  
  
"Oh Christopher," his mother said, patting his cheek softly, "I've talked to Stephanie quite a bit over this weekend, and she would never do that to you."  
  
"I just don't know Mom, I mean, I'm scared."  
  
"I think talking about it would help the both of you. You don't know want to miss out on the best thing that walked into your life."  
  
"How do you know she's the best thing for me Mom?" Chris asked curiously.  
  
Loretta looked at Tristan, "She gave you that didn't she?"  
  
"We're home!" Ted's voice boomed from the front hall. He and Stephanie walked into the room moments later and Stephanie smiled at Chris as she came to sit next to him and Tristan. Chris's mother gave him a knowing look.  
  
"How was your little excursion?" Chris asked.  
  
"Fun," Stephanie said, her voice filled with delight, "We went everywhere. We went to the pool hall and your dad introduced me to all his friends, and then we went to an ice skating rink, and I learned to play hockey!"  
  
Chris smiled in happiness at Stephanie's bubbly nature. He was glad that she was having a good time here. He almost figured that she wouldn't like visiting because she wasn't used to such....conditions. She insisted that she didn't care, but whenever he thought back to her parent's house, or Hunter's house, it just made everything about him and his life seem so inadequate. She was used to a posh, high-class existence. Yet, she had traded that all in for him.  
  
"She's pretty good too," Ted told them, "A natural hockey player."  
  
"I'll have to challenge you sometime," Chris smirked.  
  
"Bring it on Blondie," Stephanie challenged back.  
  
"You do know I will take you up on that offer right?" he said.  
  
"And you do know I'll kick your butt," she replied with a grin, "How was Tristan today?"  
  
"She's perfect," Chris's mother answered, "I think everyone was surprised by how little she fusses. She's wonderful to have around. Oh, would you look at the time, I have to go start dinner, Ted come help me."  
  
Chris watched as his parents went into the kitchen. Stephanie leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes as she laid her head against the plush cushion. Chris found himself staring at her, thinking back. Why hadn't she loved him back? He could've given her everything she ever dreamed of, gladly. She opened his eyes and looked at him.  
  
"So did you really have fun today or were you just trying to appease my dad?" Chris asked, the words sounding a little more harsh than he intended them to be.  
  
"I really had fun. You're dad is so nice and down-to-earth, unlike my dad the guy with a permanent stick up his ass," she giggled.  
  
"I'm glad you like my parents."  
  
"They're great, always what I wanted my parents to be like. I love my parents and everything, but they've never really had the time to dote over me like your parents obviously do to you."  
  
"They really like you too."  
  
She smiled happily, "That makes me so glad. I was worried they'd hate me."  
  
"Hate you? I don't think anyone could hate you."  
  
"Oh, you'd be surprised."  
  
"Hey you two," Ted said, "Your mother doesn't feel like cooking so we're going out for Chinese. Truthfully, I think she just wants to show off Tristan some more."  
  
Stephanie laughed, "I'll get our coats."  
  
The next day came, and with it, Chris, Stephanie and Tristan had to leave for the next show. Chris had practically had to fight his mother when she wouldn't let go of Tristan. She absolutely adored the little girl and Chris had almost had to sign his house away in promising that they'd visit more often. It was all he could do to get his mother to let them leave. Now they were in their rental car on their way to the next show.  
  
"So tonight, I'll just hitch a ride with Victoria so you can take this car and Tristan back to the hotel."  
  
Stephanie looked at him, trying to give him a smile, but that did nothing to the envy that was coming whenever she thought of Victoria, "Yeah, you have a room key right?"  
  
"Yup, I've got the room key, and I promise I'll be quiet when I come in so I don't wake up the little one."  
  
"Thanks," she said, her mind already trying to think of ways to get him to stay with her. She didn't know why she wanted him to stay so badly, but she wanted him to stay nonetheless. It wasn't that she wanted him for herself, it was just...he was supposed to want to be around Tristan, and she didn't like the idea of him splitting his time with anyone else. Yeah, that had to be it.  
  
"No problem, I should be thanking you. You do know that I don't really like leaving you to take care of Tristan alone. I mean, she is half my responsibility."  
  
Why did he have to be so damned sweet most of the time, "Chris, it's really alright, I don't mind."  
  
"Cool," he said simply as he pulled into a parking space at the arena, "Here we are."  
  
"Yeah, here we are," she said blandly.  
  
"Steph, is everything ok?"  
  
She turned to look at him and saw the concern etched across his features. Concern for her. It warmed her heart slightly, but not enough to tell him the truth. She nodded quickly then turned her gaze to look in the backseat where Tristan was seated, happily batting at the toys that hung down from the car-seat. She smiled a little at the little girl, the one person who had the innate ability to put her into a good mood.  
  
Jericho glanced over at her quickly, so she wouldn't notice that he was looking at her. He recalled what his mother had told him and he knew that she was right in what she said. He and Stephanie hadn't resolved everything that needed to be resolved. Sure, they had a pretty peaceful existence going on right now, but there were still a lot of things that had gone on without being spoken about.  
  
He didn't have time to think about that as he got out of car and grabbed all the bags that needed to be brought inside. Stephanie silently got Tristan out of the car and held her as they walked inside. Much to her chagrin, Victoria was the first person that they came across. Stephanie scowled and looked at her daughter to keep from sending dirty looks at Victoria.  
  
"Hey Chris, long time no see!" she told him happily.  
  
"Yeah, what's it been, a week maybe?"  
  
"I think so. Much too long."  
  
He smiled, "Well, you'll be seeing plenty of me later, won't you?"  
  
"Oh, don't tempt me," she said, blushing slightly, the rose of her cheeks more pronounced against her pale complexion, "But I'll let you go about your business for now, I mean, look at all those bags."  
  
"Well, most of them aren't even mine."  
  
She laughed, "Hey Stephanie, how are you?"  
  
"I'm good," Stephanie said, swallowing down her angry response.  
  
"Great, your daughter is gorgeous, I don't think I've had the opportunity to tell you that," Victoria said.  
  
Stephanie smiled sweetly, but that was only because she had heard somewhere that smiling was a way to resist puking, and that's what she wanted to do at the moment, just throw up. It was so obvious that she was trying to suck up to Jericho, and what better way to do that than go through Tristan. What a low, down dirty trick, for a complete and utter bi--  
  
"Stephanie, you coming?"  
  
Stephanie looked up and realized that Victoria was gone and she was just standing there while Chris was a few paces in front of her. He looked at her oddly and she smiled lightly before following him to their dressing room for the evening. She walked inside and sat down on the couch with Tristan in her arms, biting her lip a little. Why was she being so negative towards Victoria? She should want Chris to be happy, he really deserved it.  
  
Chris looked down at her. She seemed to have a lot on her mind lately, and he hoped that everything was fine with her. He once again thought back to what his mother had said, about Stephanie being the best thing to ever happen to him. He couldn't deny that she was pretty damn important to her, considering she had his baby, but the way his mother implied it, she thought that Stephanie was so much more than that, and he was unsure of how to proceed with that thought in mind.  
  
"I have first match," he told her, "Vic just has a match after me and we're done, so we'll probably be back early so you don't have to stay with Tristan for too long."  
  
"Stay out as long as you want," she said, pushing down those other feelings. She wanted Chris to be happy, yes, that was to become her new mantra.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Nah, that's ok, I really don't like being away from you guys."  
  
There was that peculiar wording again. It was never just Tristan that he talked about, it was always the both of them. But he never said it like she was simply an extension of Tristan, that she was the baggage that came with the little girl. It was more inclusive than that, and she had to wonder why he kept referring to them like that.  
  
"That's good to hear."  
  
He smiled, "I'm going to get dressed right now."  
  
"Go for it," she told him, "We'll just sit out here."  
  
"Don't go anywhere, I want to kiss my best girl before I go out for my match."  
  
"Oh Chris, I didn't know you felt that way," Stephanie said coyly.  
  
Stephanie didn't know where that had come from, and regretted it the moment the words left her mouth. For as soon as she said it her mind conjured up images of the two times that they had very nearly kissed, and she knew they were probably running through his mind too. She blushed a little and looked down, thankful when she heard the bathroom door close.  
  
"Oh Trist, why does Mommy get herself into these predicaments?" Stephanie whispered. Tristan smiled at her, and Stephanie kissed her forehead, "You think it's funny that Mommy has so many problems, huh baby girl?"  
  
Stephanie sat back and let Tristan lean on her as she waited for Chris to get dressed. He came back out shortly, dressed in his tights and wrapping up his wrists with black tape. She smiled at him as she glanced over at her. When he was through, he gave Tristan a kiss on the head as she wished him good luck and let him go ahead to his match.  
  
He was fighting against Christian tonight and the match started off with them exchanging blows. Chris took the early advantage and held on to it for most of the match, with Christian occasionally getting a suplex or some low-impact move in. Jericho took him down with a bulldog, and then went for the Lionsault, but Christian got his knees up. Stephanie winced as she saw him grab his mid-section. That had to hurt.  
  
Christian started getting on the offensive, giving some forearms to Chris. Stephanie cheered Chris on, then noticed that Tristan was sleeping and put her in the crib provided for them. She went back to watching, just in time to see Chris give Christian a drop-toe hold and then quickly turn Christian over for the Walls of Jericho. She grinned widely as she saw Christian tapping and the bell signaling Jericho's victory.  
  
Jericho walked backstage happily, celebrating his win. He walked into his dressing room and Stephanie threw herself into his sweaty arms. She embraced him and he returned it enthusiastically. She pulled away finally and look at him, jubilation in her eyes. He couldn't help but mirror that.  
  
"You were so great out there!"  
  
"Thanks," he said, "I really feel like my old self again."  
  
"That's great," she said, nodding emphatically.  
  
Chris looked at her, and realized that now as good a time as any to have that talk that they had been meaning to have, or at least that he had been meaning to have. He led her over to the couch and gestured for her to sit down. She did willingly and then looked up at him with curious eyes.  
  
"Stephanie, I need to talk to you."  
  
"Ok," she said, "What about?"  
  
"Us."  
  
"Oh," she said, shifting uncomfortably, "Is there something wrong? Do you not like me living with you?"  
  
"It's not that, it's just, I feel like we still have stuff up in the air between us that we never got to resolve," he explained, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair.  
  
"Ok, so let's talk about it," she said, because truthfully she had a few things she needed to say as well. She just hoped they were the same things that he was feeling.  
  
"Well, I just, I don't know where to start," he laughed nervously, "Truthfully my mom told me to talk to you."  
  
"Well, what did she say?"  
  
"That we need to figure things out between us."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Stephanie, why did you reject me when I told you I loved you?"  
  
Of all the questions, she wasn't expecting that one to come first, "Um, at the time, I really did love Hunter and I thought that he was what I wanted, at the time."  
  
"Did you ever feel anything for me that could even remotely be construed as love?"  
  
"Of course," she said, touching his leg, "I did feel something for you, I never would've slept with you if I hadn't."  
  
He nodded, "Good, I didn't want to be the only one who felt something."  
  
"You weren't, in fact, I kind of have--"  
  
"Knock, knock," Victoria said, sticking her head in the door, "I hope I'm not interrupting."  
  
Why was that bitch always interrupting? Stephanie was just about sick and tired of her and she wanted to go over there and rip Victoria's hair out. She was just about to confess what she had been feeling, but no, this wench had to go and ruin that. She scowled as Chris got up and went over to her.  
  
"I thought you had a match," Chris said.  
  
"I did, but it was really, really short," she shrugged, "I'm just about ready when you are."  
  
"Let me take a quick shower and we'll go."  
  
"Ok, see you in a few."  
  
"Bye," Chris turned to Stephanie, "You going to be ok here on your own Steph?"  
  
She sighed and looked over at the crib Tristan was lying in at the moment. She turned her head to look back at Chris, a wistful look on her face. Oh well, she'd just have to move on from Chris, because there was a slim to nil chance of them getting together. Besides, they would never work anyways.  
  
"I'll be fine." 


	38. Chapter 38

I had been two weeks since Chris and Victoria's first date. Apparently they hit it off because they had been seeing and talking to each other a lot. Stephanie wasn't sure how she felt about it at the moment. On the one hand she really wanted Chris to be happy. On the other hand, she wanted his attention. She felt ashamed about the latter, but she couldn't stop these feelings.  
  
"Look who it is Trist!"  
  
Stephanie looked up from the couch and saw Chris peeking his head through the door and holding Tristan in from of him. The baby smiled and Chris came fully into the room, cradling Tristan against him. He smiled at Stephanie and then went over to her to hand Tristan over.  
  
"Where did you two run off to?"  
  
"Tristan and I went to go see some of the guys training in the ring."  
  
"Sounds like fun, did she like it?"  
  
"Yeah, she was all smiles," he said proudly, "We've got the next women's champ right here."  
  
"Oh, is that so Trist?" Stephanie asked, gazing at her daughter. The baby babbled excitedly.  
  
"See, she's going to take after me," Chris said.  
  
"Since when are you a women's wrestler?"  
  
Chris laughed sarcastically, "You know what I meant."  
  
She gave him an innocent look, "Maybe she'll be running the company."  
  
"Well la-dee-da," he kidded, "Excuse me, Miss Tristan, I didn't know you were my new boss."  
  
"Well, she is a McMahon, therefore she does have the name and I'm sure if she didn't like you, she'd fire you."  
  
"You'd fire your Daddy?"  
  
Tristan smiled.  
  
"Well, I guess that answers my question," Chris said, "I guess I can have a boy and he could be Chris Jericho Junior."  
  
"God help us all," Stephanie replied.  
  
"Hey! What was that for?"  
  
"Another Chris Jericho, I don't think the world is ready."  
  
"Oh come on, he'd be great, someone to continue the legacy and all that," he said, "And him and his sister could then rule the company. It'd be awesome."  
  
Stephanie laughed as she regarded him. She secretly wondered if this Chris Jericho the next generation would be one of her kids as well. She didn't dare ask, in case he laughed in her face or something. She never liked jumping to conclusions, especially when they concerned her life. She just looked down at Tristan and bit her tongue.  
  
"So what are you doing tonight?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I was going to go out with Vic, if that's fine with you?" he said, sitting next to her.  
  
"You don't have to ask my permission," she told him.  
  
"Well, you know, I know I don't, but I feel more comfortable if you know what my plans are," he said with a smile.  
  
"That's sweet," she answered, "But you can just say that you're going out with Victoria. I'll be fine."  
  
"I know that I've been spending a lot of time with her lately," he started, rubbing his cheek, "And I just wanted to know how you felt about that?"  
  
"I'm fine with it," Stephanie said quickly, a bit too quickly for Chris's liking, but he didn't want to argue with her.  
  
"You know, if you ever want to take a night off you can, no questions asked....you know, if you want to spend a night alone, or if you want to go on a date or something."  
  
She guffawed, "Who would go out with me?"  
  
"Plenty of guys," he said with great conviction, "You're beautiful, smart, funny, rich, sweet, kind, unselfish..."  
  
She looked at him to see if he was actually telling the truth and not lying to her. His eyes said that he was telling the truth and so she was inclined to believe him, even if she didn't believe in herself. She didn't know what it was about Chris, but he had the capacity to make her feel wanted, even if she didn't think she would ever have that feeling again.  
  
"Thank you Chris," she said softly, "But I doubt that's true, I come with too much baggage."  
  
He smiled sweetly at her and ran his hand over her hair, smoothing it down. She was touched by his gesture and it felt so soothing. It was times like these that she didn't know exactly what she and Chris were. Were they best friends? Yes, she could call him that again. But were they more? That's where the line began to haze and she could never really tell.  
  
It didn't seem likely now that he was with Victoria. He hadn't outright called her, "his girlfriend," but she knew deep down that's what they were. She wasn't positive about how she felt about this right now. Chris was the father of her baby, and was forever a part of her life because of that. She had the right to think of him and worry about his well-being, but part of her felt this was much more than just being concerned about him as a friend.  
  
"You're perfect," he whispered, "Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."  
  
"I won't," she said, "But having you here makes everything seem easier for me. I don't know what I would do without you."  
  
"You'd get by," he said, moving his hand from her head and down to rub Tristan's back, "She's asleep."  
  
"I guess watching all those guys kind of took its toll on her huh?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, "I'm going to go see Vic now, but I'll come back in a little while."  
  
"Ok, tell her I said hello," she said, smiling cordially.  
  
"Will do."  
  
He left and she sighed, looking down at Tristan. She didn't like these feelings of jealousy that coursed through her whenever he mentioned Victoria. She tried to swallow these feelings, and for the most part she did...at least when Chris was around. But now, by herself, save for Tristan, she was free to let out a string of curse words as she thought about the beautiful diva who had caught Chris's eye.  
  
She took Tristan over to the crib sitting in the corner and gently put her in side, being careful not to wake her. She stared down at her daughter's angelic face, and as much as she could take back these feelings she had for Chris, to go back to that night that they had slept together and had enough sense to not let get things carried away, she couldn't do that. Tristan was just too beautiful and too much a part of her life to want her to go away. She ran her finger down Tristan's chubby little arm and smiled to herself.  
  
"I feel like we're losing Daddy, Tristan," Stephanie said, not knowing where these words were coming from, but just pouring them out, "We're losing him, and there's nothing we can do to stop it. I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry."  
  
Chris walked down the hallway and into Victoria's dressing room where she was combing her hair. She saw Chris through the mirror and smiled at him. He walked up behind her and put both hands on her shoulders. Then he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek and raise his eyebrows a little as he looked into the mirror.  
  
"You are looking quite gorgeous this evening," he whispered huskily into her ear.  
  
"Thank you," she said, giving him a radiant smile, "I'm looking good just for you."  
  
"And the other millions of fans that you have out there right?"  
  
"Yeah, but they don't really count," she giggled, "So what brings you here?"  
  
"Just came to see you, is that a problem, I can always leave..." he said, starting for the door.  
  
Victoria popped out of her seat and made a mad dash for the door, catching Chris's arm as he reached for the doorknob. He turned around quickly and caught her giving him a little, flirty smirk. She leaned in and brushed her lips against his, before he put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her more deeply. She laughed against his lips and he smiled as he brought his hand up to her jet-black hair.  
  
"Mmm, I've been wanting to do that all day," Victoria said against her lips, "Where have you been since you got here?"  
  
"I was with the number one girl in my life," he answered.  
  
"I'm never going to get to be number one huh?" she said, but her tone was definitely joking.  
  
"No, I'm sorry, that spot was taken about two months ago," he told her.  
  
"Yeah, I figured, so what were you two doing?"  
  
"We went to watch some of the guys train in the ring. She was having a really good time."  
  
"That's good, maybe she'll take after you someday."  
  
"That's what I said," he said with a grin, "Stephanie said she can run the company."  
  
"That's a great option too, this girl is going to be so set for life," Victoria said.  
  
"Yeah, but Stephanie and I both agreed that Tristan could choose what she wants to do when she grows up. We don't want to burden her by telling her that she needs to join the company."  
  
"I'm sure she will anyways, it's in her blood. I mean, with you and Stephanie..."  
  
Chris noticed an odd tone in her voice and pulled away from her. He studied her face and though seemingly normal on the outside, there was a strange glint in her eyes. It was almost a kind of jealousy or something of that nature. But why would she need to be jealous? Maybe it was something to do with one of the divas she was feuding with right now.  
  
"Hey what's wrong?" he asked softly.  
  
"It's nothing, really, I just...I mean, it's not just me, but other people, but I guess that I'm the most curious to know..." Her voice trailed off until it was merely a squeak and discernible to his ear.  
  
"Vic, you can tell me if something's bothering you, I don't bite and I promise to listen."  
  
"I don't know, I just kind of wonder what's going on with you and Stephanie...and I know that you have a daughter and that you have to be around her, I guess I'm just worried that..."  
  
"Hey, there's nothing between Stephanie and I that can be considered romantic. I love her because she's the mother of my child and she's one of my best friends, but that's the extent of my feelings for her."  
  
"Oh," Victoria said with a look of relief coming over her features, "I just needed to hear that from you."  
  
"So now you've heard it," he said, "And how do you feel about that?"  
  
"I'm good now," she smiled, then kissed him, "Very good."  
  
Stephanie still stood, just watching Tristan sleep. She didn't know why, but she felt that Chris was slipping away from her. Was he even hers to slip away from? No, but he was Tristan's, and she couldn't lose him. But he was spending so much time with Victoria that she felt left out somehow. If Chris and Victoria got married, where would that leave Stephanie and Tristan? She could almost imagine Chris forgetting he even had Tristan once Victoria started popping out kids. They'd be out in the cold, all alone, and Tristan would have nobody to call Daddy.  
  
Chris walked back into his dressing room since Victoria had to go talk to some people. He smiled as he walked in, being in a good mood and getting to see some of his favorite people momentarily. He opened the door and scanned the room, finding Stephanie stooped over Tristan's crib, and her shoulders were shaking. Chris looked at her oddly for a moment before realizing she was crying. Thinking something was wrong with Tristan he dashed over to the crib, but only saw Tristan sleeping peacefully inside, her one hand clutching her favorite stuffed animal.  
  
"Stephanie, what's wrong?" Chris asked, exasperated. It wasn't so much the jog from the door to the crib that made him exhausted at this moment, but rather the fear that coursed through his heart at the thought of Tristan being hurt. That was a scary feeling, one he hoped never to actually feel.  
  
Stephanie didn't even realize that he had come into the room and looked up, embarrassed and wiping her eyes, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"What? Sorry for what?"  
  
"I'm crying like a baby," she said, then leaned against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Nothing, I just needed a good cry."  
  
"There's such a thing as a good cry?" he asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, you know, just to clear your head of all those thoughts that become such a burden," she answered.  
  
"What's a burden on your mind?" he asked softly, feeling like this was a mirror image of what he had been talking to Victoria about earlier.  
  
"It's not a big deal," she said, not wanting to deal with her feelings at the current moment. Chris would never understand if she told him and she didn't want to complicate things right now.  
  
"It's a big enough deal to make you cry...so let it out gorgeous."  
  
"I'm just sad is all. Haven't you ever been sad?"  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe."  
  
"Yeah, I'm just sad, I just...I feel like something is slipping away from me, and there's nothing I can do to stop it from slipping, because if I did, it would just create more problems."  
  
"If you're slipping, I will always be there to catch you," he told her, resting his cheek against her head.  
  
"Will you?"  
  
"You know I will," he said, "I always will."  
  
"How can I be sure?"  
  
"You're one of my best girls Stephanie, I care about you, I'll always be there to catch you if you fall."  
  
But what if he was the thing that was slipping away? 


	39. Chapter 39

"We're getting married!"  
  
Chris looked up from his magazine and saw Lita and Matt beaming at him. He smiled as he saw Lita's left finger, a diamond ring adorning her left hand. He stood up and hugged her and shook hands with Matt, congratulating them.  
  
"So when did this happen?" he asked.  
  
"Last night," Lita said, smiling in Matt's direction, "Took me completely by surprise. It was so great."  
  
"Well, I'm happy for you," he said, grinning at them, "So when's the wedding?"  
  
"In a couple of months," she said, "We wanna get married soon."  
  
"Why? Did he knock you up?" Chris joked.  
  
"No, we leave the knocking up to you," Matt said.  
  
"Touché," he said, "But why so soon then?"  
  
"We just want to," Lita said, "And we both want it to be really simple, on our property during the summer, you know, very casual and all that."  
  
"That's cool, so small?"  
  
"Pretty small I guess, we're having the reception in a nice hotel, we don't want our house trashed and then have to clean it up."  
  
"Makes sense," Chris nodded.  
  
"Oh, tell Vic and Stephanie that they're invited too," Matt said, "In case you see them before we do, I'm sure you will, since you know, they're your girls and all, but just let them know."  
  
"Ok," Chris told them as they walked away, looking for other people to tell.  
  
He was genuinely happy for his friends. It was about time that they got together, they had been dating for a while now. His mind wandered back to what Matt had said to him, about his "girls." Was Stephanie really one of his girls, why would Matt say it like he had? Like Stephanie was much more to him than Tristan's mother. Granted, she was his best friend, but it didn't go beyond that, it couldn't go beyond that, not anymore.  
  
"You know, there are seats all around here."  
  
Chris broke out of his reverie and looked up at Victoria, "You don't say!"  
  
She laughed and kissed him, "I do say, so what's up?"  
  
"Oh, Matt and Lita are getting married," he explained, "I was just congratulating them."  
  
"That's great!" Victoria gushed, "I'm really happy for them, not to mention it's about time."  
  
"That's what I thought too," he chuckled, "They've been seeing each other for years."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm glad they're happy, so when's the wedding?"  
  
"Couple of months, you're invited...They're just telling people right now, I'm sure they'll be more formal invitations soon."  
  
"Cool," she said, taking some of the potato chips that Chris had been eating, "Weddings are always so nice, I want one some day."  
  
"We've only been seeing each other for a month."  
  
"I wasn't hinting!"  
  
He laughed, "Yeah, of course not, you wouldn't hint, you'd come right out and say it wouldn't you."  
  
"Oh you already know me so well, perhaps we should get married."  
  
"I think I'll wait a little while," he smirked.  
  
"Aww, ok, if that's what you really want," she said, "But I'm not getting any younger over here Jericho!"  
  
"No, just more beautiful," he said, running his thumb over her cheek.  
  
"That was so sweet," she said, giving him a kiss, "Where's Tristan?"  
  
"Off with Stephanie somewhere," he whispered, leaning into kiss her again.  
  
Stephanie held Tristan over her head and made a funny face at the little girl. Tristan smiled and held her arms out. Stephanie laughed and brought Tristan into her body, holding her tightly. Tristan snuggled into her mother as they walked down to her parent's office for a visit. Tristan looked around curiously. Stephanie reached the door and turned the knob to walk inside. She was surprised to see Hunter sitting there and her parents nowhere to be found.  
  
"Hunter," she said softly.  
  
They hadn't talked in a long time, in fact, they hadn't talked since the night they had broken up. Any and all divorce talk had gone through their lawyers, and they had meticulously avoided each other at shows. They had seen each other in the halls, but they never acknowledged each other. She looked at him, wondering why he was here.  
  
"Did you have a meeting with my parents?"  
  
"Actually no, I knew you were coming here, and well, I needed to talk to you," Hunter said.  
  
"Oh, in my parent's office?"  
  
"Well, anywhere is fine."  
  
"Maybe it would be better if we went to my dressing room, um, that way I can put Tristan in her crib and then we can talk."  
  
"What about Chris?" Hunter asked hesitantly. He was still hurting over the fact that Tristan wasn't his daughter, but that wasn't something that you got over in a day, or a month, or a year, it was a lifetime hurt. Loving something that was never yours, knowing it never would be, the hurt ran too deep to just forget.  
  
"He's with Vic or something," Stephanie said, a little too bitterly, and she hoped that Hunter didn't pick up on it, but she knew she would. He knew her, and he knew her voices.  
  
Hunter did in fact pick up on the inflection of her voice. It was her jealous voice, anybody who knew her could tell that. She seemed to be jealous of Victoria, either that or jealous that Chris was seeing someone. He had always suspected something, but that didn't matter anymore.  
  
"Fine, we can go back there then," he said, standing up and walking to the door, holding it open for her.  
  
They walked silently down the hallway, side by side, not touching, not looking at each other. They both kept their eyes forward. To the unknowing eye, it looked like a funeral procession, if it weren't for the bubbly baby in Stephanie's arms, you might think they were headed for a double execution. Stephanie reached her and Chris's door and stopped in front of it, opening it. Hunter reached out and held the door open for her, and she walked inside, heading immediately to the crib and setting Tristan inside, who whimpered at being left alone. Stephanie didn't have time to comfort the little girl and gave her, her stuffed dog and went to sit on the couch. Hunter stood awkwardly at the door.  
  
"You can sit," she told him, holding out her palm to the seat next to her on the couch.  
  
"Um, yeah," he said, taking a seat next to her, but careful to remain an appropriate distance.  
  
"What did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Well, the divorce," he said softly, "It's almost over, I just needed you to sign the final papers."  
  
"Oh, I usually do this through the lawyer," she replied.  
  
"Yeah, but well, that could take a while, months actually, because the lawyer said something about traveling through the right channels, and I know that you're probably anxious to have this marriage over with, I kind of am too, but well, I just said I'd show them to you and you could sign them."  
  
"Oh, so the lawyers agreed on a settlement then?"  
  
"Yeah, pretty much, considering the circumstances, it wasn't that difficult."  
  
"I'm probably one of the few people who didn't want anything," she said with a slight smile.  
  
"Probably," he said, matching her small smile with one of his own, "But me and my bank account thank you for that. It's probably good we always had separate bank accounts right."  
  
"Yeah, makes this much easier."  
  
"Yeah, so you just have to sign a few papers and we're officially over," he said, thrusting the envelope that he was holding at her.  
  
"Thanks," she said, taking it and carefully opening it.  
  
She took out the papers and leafed through them, checking the fine print. They seemed to be in order and she took a pen that was laying on the table and signed where Hunter pointed out for her to sign. She signed them deftly and when the final one was signed, she felt an odd sense of finality wash over her. She was officially single. She wasn't married anymore. She sighed and handed him back the papers.  
  
"Thanks," she said.  
  
"No, thank you," he told her, "I'll get these to my lawyer soon."  
  
"Ok," she said, Tristan's crying interrupting her sentence, "She's probably mad at me because I stuck her in her crib."  
  
"Oh," Hunter said, watching as Stephanie stood up and went over to the crib. Stephanie cooed at Tristan as she picked her up and kissed her cheek softly. Tristan gave her a look and Stephanie laughed as she went to sit down.  
  
"She's mad at me, spoiled little one hates to be left alone for even one second."  
  
"Just like Mommy," Hunter said, actually smiling in full.  
  
"Me? Spoiled, no chance."  
  
Hunter laughed, "Yeah, I'm so sure about that one. Tristan, your Mommy is spoiled so you don't have to worry about it."  
  
Tristan looked at him with wide eyes.  
  
"She's so big now," Hunter said as he looked at her.  
  
"Yeah, I know, I can't believe how fast she grows," Stephanie said, "She's already grown out of so many of her clothes, she's a clothes horse already."  
  
"She's beautiful," Hunter said, gazing at her, "You and Chris are so lucky."  
  
Stephanie looked down, knowing how much it had hurt him to say those words, "Thank you, we know."  
  
"I'm sure you do."  
  
"She's smiling now too," Stephanie said, not so much to gloat, but just to let him know.  
  
"Wow, that must be great."  
  
"Yeah, it's not just gas anymore," Stephanie laughed and was happy to see Hunter laugh with her.  
  
Chris walked in the room just as they were laughing and was a bit shocked to see the two of them in here together, laughing nonetheless. He knew that they hadn't been speaking, or had they? Chris noticed that Hunter was holding onto Tristan's hand and he felt anger coursing through him. Not at just Hunter, but at both of them. What the hell was going on? He cleared his throat loudly and Hunter and Stephanie looked up at him.  
  
"Oh hey Chris," Stephanie said.  
  
"Hi," he said through clenched teeth, "What's with the little meeting?"  
  
"Oh, Hunter and I were just talking," Stephanie said.  
  
"Yeah, but I was just heading out," Hunter said, getting up, "Thanks again Stephanie, I guess I'll see you around."  
  
"Yeah, and hopefully, it'll be better next time around," Stephanie said as Hunter waved at her.  
  
"See ya Chris."  
  
"Yeah, bye," Chris said, then muttered, "Good riddance."  
  
"So Chris, where--"  
  
"What the hell was he doing in here?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Are you seeing him again?"  
  
"What?" Stephanie said, giving Chris a look of confusion, "Seeing who?"  
  
"Hunter, are you two together again!"  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"Well, I walk in here and you're laughing and he's holding Tristan's hand, like he belongs or something, and as Tristan's father, I think I deserve to know what's going on if it concerns my little girl!"  
  
Stephanie stood up, now angry at what Chris was saying, "How dare you think that I would do something with Tristan without consulting you first!"  
  
"Well I wouldn't put it past you, you did try to take her away from me didn't you!"  
  
Chris regretted the words as soon as he thought them, but his temper always overrode him and he found that he had said it before he could stop himself. Stephanie took a step back as if she had been hit by an actual blow, but that's what his words had felt like, an actual blow. Her lip quivered as she tried valiantly to hold her tears in.  
  
"That was low," she said, her voice wavering, "That was so low."  
  
"Stephanie, I'm--"  
  
"No, I don't know how you could say that to me," she said, her eyes welling with tears, "Hunter was only in here to get me to sign the final divorce papers, that's it."  
  
Now Chris felt like a complete stooge. Here he was, jumping to conclusions when he shouldn't have been and he had completely misread the entire situation. A tear escaped her eye, and before she could stop them, more tears were spilling forth and Chris felt his heart rip in half.  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
Chris just whispered the words before he rushed to Stephanie and took her in his arms, holding her tightly. She cried into his chest as he whispered nonsensical things into her ear, trying to calm her down. He kissed the top of her head, letting his cheek linger against her soft, brown hair.  
  
"I'm so sorry," he repeated, over and over like a mantra.  
  
"Why would you say that? How could you say that?" she sobbed.  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't know, Stephanie, I should've just asked, I don't know why I did that, I was just upset, scared that I would lose everything again."  
  
"I would never--"  
  
"No, shh, I know," he whispered, holding her tighter.  
  
There they stayed for a long while, Chris holding Stephanie, her head on his chest, and Tristan, looking curiously up at her parents. 


	40. Chapter 40

"So yeah, I want you to be one my groomsmen."  
  
"Jeff's your best man I presume," Chris said.  
  
"Yeah," Mat nodded, "If I didn't pick him, he'd probably have a hissy fit and then disown me or something."  
  
"Yeah, and you wouldn't want that," Chris laughed, "I mean, what would life be without Jeff to annoy you all the time?"  
  
"I've gotten used to it over the past twenty-six years, so I think I'm immune to his annoying behavior. I leave him to Trish, let her deal with him."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
"So how are you and Victoria?" Matt asked as he sipped his drink. He and Chris were having an early lunch in the hotel restaurant.  
  
Chris smiled, "Great, she's really a great person, and I enjoy being with her, you know, I think we really go well together."  
  
"Cool, and is this something you can see as being long-term?"  
  
"Definitely," Chris nodded with a smile, "She's just too good to pass up trying with you know. I mean, I don't want to rush things, but I really do like her."  
  
"And what about the other girls in your life? What do they think about it?"  
  
Chris laughed, "Stephanie's fine with it, you know Stephanie, she's great. She lets me go out whenever I want to, she's like the best person I've ever met."  
  
"And the mother of your child," Matt pointed out.  
  
"That too. But she's just great you know, like otherwise, regardless of Trist."  
  
"What about Tristan and Victoria, does Victoria like her?"  
  
"They haven't really gotten to spend time together. I don't know, I guess I'm kind of trying to keep the two separate for now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Chris frowned, "I'm not sure, I just don't know if that would be rushing it with Victoria. Letting her get attached to my kid in case it doesn't work out."  
  
Matt looked at his friend knowingly. As much as Chris liked Victoria, and he truly believed he did, he figured there were other factors at work here. Chris just not wanting Victoria around his daughter, it screamed of Chris actually not wanting Victoria around Stephanie. He never asked what really happened between them, because it wasn't his business, but he really would like to know what was going on with those two.  
  
"Is that the only reason?" Matt said, being purposely vague.  
  
"What do you mean by that? That I don't want Victoria as a part of my life?"  
  
"Maybe, or maybe you just don't want your two women to collide with each other, because then it might make you actually have to make a decision," Matt told him.  
  
Chris looked at him, confused by what he had said, "What do you mean, my two women? Tristan and Victoria?"  
  
"Give me a break Chris, you know I'm talking about Stephanie."  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"You don't want her and Victoria to interact with each other."  
  
"That's not true!"  
  
"Then why don't you have them all for dinner tonight," he said, "Why don't you let Victoria come to you house on the weekends and stay with you?"  
  
"No way, Stephanie is there and she woul--"  
  
"Wouldn't like it? And that's precisely why you don't do it. Because Stephanie wouldn't like it. Jericho, man, don't you see it? Can't you see that Stephanie is practically your wife without the sex and the rings?"  
  
"She is not like my wife!"  
  
"Yes, she is. You think about what she wants. You're considerate to her, you do things for her, you're always with her--"  
  
"Hello! She's the mother of my daughter," Chris said, starting to get angry. Everyone thought that he was pining over Stephanie, but it simply wasn't true. He was happy with Victoria, and his situation with Stephanie bore no hindrance on his situation with Victoria.  
  
"I have the feeling she's much more to you than that," Matt said seriously, "Look Chris, it's not my position to pry into your personal business, but I'm your friend, so I'm going to. You and Stephanie, you share something really important and really special. You have this little girl, and that's bound to make you a part of each other's lives, but when you won't even let your girlfriend be a part of that life, what does that say?"  
  
Chris was about to respond when he saw Stephanie walk into the restaurant and glance around. Her eyes fell on him and she let out a big smile. Chris smiled back widely and waved her over. Matt looked over his shoulder, knowing that it was Stephanie as soon as he saw Chris's smile. Stephanie came over, carrying Tristan, who was in her carrier and sat down next to Chris.  
  
"Hey Matt," Stephanie said, "You're looking chipper this morning."  
  
"Hey Steph," he said with a smile, "Have you eaten?"  
  
"No," Stephanie said, "Tristan was fussy the entire morning, and I've just gotten her to calm down."  
  
"Why didn't you call me?" Chris asked, "I would've come up to help."  
  
"It's ok Chris, I can take care of her too you know," she said with a giggle and kissed his cheek, "Thank you for thinking of me though."  
  
Matt shot Chris a look that said everything he wanted to say. Chris shook his head in disagreement at Matt's look. Stephanie leaned down to pick up Tristan and held her as she looked over the menu. Chris looked over at the two of them, and yes they were important to him, but he wasn't keeping them from Victoria, why would he do that?  
  
"Have you guys gotten your food?" Stephanie asked.  
  
"We ordered, but we've just been talking," Matt said, "So you don't have to eat alone."  
  
"Great, nothing worse than having two guys watch you stuff your face," she said, causing them to laugh, "So Matt, how's the wedding coming?"  
  
"Smoothly so far, you are coming right?"  
  
"Of course, I'm coming up with Chris," she replied.  
  
"Yeah, you are," Chris said, ignoring another one of Matt's looks.  
  
Chris instead switched his gaze over to Stephanie. She was dressed simply in a black t-shirt and jeans. With Tristan around, she found no need to dress up, and would rather be comfortable than anything else. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with a few strands of hair sticking out. He studied her face, and she looked tired, but that was normal with such a small child. Tristan was only nine weeks old, barely more than two months and she still didn't sleep through the night. He probably looked as tired as she did, but she still had this glow about her face.  
  
He looked down at Tristan who was leaning her head against Stephanie, blinking slowly, which probably meant she was a little sleepy. She was such a perfect blend of him and Stephanie. Her hair was a light brown, and it was coming in kind of curly, like his hair. She had his eyes and mouth, but Stephanie's other features. Tristan looked up at him and gave a small smile of recognition.  
  
Stephanie looked over at him, "What're you staring at?"  
  
"Nothing," he smiled, "Just looking at Tristan."  
  
"Aww, did you hear that Trist, Daddy loves to look at you," Stephanie said, holding Tristan up to Chris, "You want to take her?"  
  
"You can hold her if you want," he said, "I'll take her when the food comes so that you can actually eat."  
  
Matt just looked at the exchange and sighed; they were such the married couple without the sex. He wondered why Chris couldn't see that he cared about Stephanie more than just because she was Tristan's mother. Chris looked over at him and Matt gave him another look and Chris shot him a look of warning. Stephanie could sense the animosity or something between the two of them, and felt like she had walked into the middle of a fight.  
  
"Are you two alright?" she asked, gazing back and forth between them.  
  
"Yeah, Matt and I were just talking about Victoria."  
  
"Oh," Stephanie nodded, "Well, makes sense."  
  
Stephanie kept her mouth shut about Victoria, knowing that the subject should not be broached here. She didn't even want to think about Victoria, let alone Victoria being with Chris. She had owned up to her jealousy, if only in her own mind, and she hated feeling this way. It wasn't jealousy because of Victoria dating Chris, she was just jealous that Chris had someone and she didn't.  
  
"Steph," Chris started, "Maybe you, Tristan, Victoria and I should all have dinner tonight? You know, she's never actually gotten to be around you guys and well, I figure since all of you are pretty important to me that maybe we can all get together."  
  
Chris shot Matt an imperceptible look. Matt just smirked at Chris's lame attempt to prove that he was right about this whole thing. Stephanie looked down. She really didn't want to have dinner with Victoria, but she was going to figure that she wasn't going to get out of it anytime soon.  
  
"That'd be...fine," Stephanie said, "If you want us all there, well, I can say Tristan and I will be there."  
  
"Great," he said, kissing her cheek, "I'm going to go find Victoria and ask her now."  
  
"But your lunch?" Stephanie said, "You have to eat something Chris, I know you barely had anything to eat last night because you were trying to put Trist down, I don't want you to miss another meal."  
  
"Better listen to her Chris," Matt said, "She means business."  
  
"Ok, ok, look, I'll go ask her really quick if she's in her room, and then I'll come back down and have breakfast, does that sound ok?"  
  
"Yes." Before she could say anything else, he was jogging slowly out of the restaurant. Stephanie watched him jog away until she couldn't see him anymore then looked down at the menu before her as the guy came over to get her order. As soon as she gave it, she looked up and saw Matt looking at her intensely.  
  
"What, do I have spit up on me or something?" she asked.  
  
"No," he said, "You look great, except for the look on your face."  
  
"Well, I'm a little tir--"  
  
"I don't think it's from being tired. You don't like Victoria do you?"  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"Just being observant," Matt said, looking at her intently, "And it's either you don't like her, or you're jealous of her."  
  
Stephanie stared at Matt. Was she really that transparent? Could everyone see her feelings written across her face? She was trying so hard not to let anyone know what was really going through and she could blow that by being too emotional. Chris wasn't hers to get jealous over, so she wasn't, she just wanted someone to love her.  
  
"I'm neither," Stephanie said with resolve.  
  
"Yeah, sure you are," Matt said, "I don't know why you and Chris try to ignore it."  
  
"Ignore what?" Had Chris been talking about her? She felt butterflies in her stomach as she thought about the possibility of Chris saying he had feelings for her. She tried to swallow them down though, she shouldn't get her hopes up.  
  
"You two are perfect for each other, don't you see that Stephanie?" "He's just Tristan's father," Stephanie said, "And my friend."  
  
"Fine, you know, you two are just going to dance around forever that's fine. But Stephanie, Chris will get serious with Victoria, are you prepared for that? What if he wants to marry her? What are you going to do then?"  
  
"If Chris wants to get married, there's not a whole lot I can do," Stephanie said, "It's his life."  
  
"But you're a really big part of that life, you two have a child together."  
  
"Yes, but we're not together, who Chris chooses to date or marry, or whatever is not any of my business, and I'm not going to make it my business because the only reason we're linked is because of Tristan."  
  
"Ok, if you two say so," Matt said, realizing that both of them were WAY too stubborn to see what everyone else could. He just guessed that they had to figure it out for themselves. He just hoped that one of them did something about it before they lost each other forever.  
  
Meanwhile, Chris was standing in front of Victoria's room after asking the front desk where her room was. He knocked loudly and Victoria came to the door, still in her pajamas and her hair messy. Chris realized that he had probably woken her up and gave her a sorry look.  
  
"Chris, what are you doing here?" she asked sleepily, stretching her arms over her head.  
  
"Oh, I didn't know I was waking you up," he said.  
  
"It's probably better that I get up now," she yawned, "So really, why are you up here?"  
  
"I wanted to know if you want to go to dinner tonight, so do you?"  
  
"Sure," she said, "I'm not going home until tomorrow, so yeah, I can make it."  
  
"Great, and Stephanie and Tristan will be there, if that's ok with you, I kind of figured you guys should get to know each other."  
  
She smiled, "That sounds like a great idea, I'd love to get to know them better."  
  
"I'd kiss you, but you probably have morning breath."  
  
"I know I do," she said, "So save that kiss for later."  
  
"I'll definitely collect it later," he smiled, "I better get back downstairs though, my lunch is getting cold."  
  
"Don't let me keep you," she laughed as he walked away, "What time tonight?"  
  
"Six, that way Tristan is still up," he said, "Til later."  
  
"Bye," she called out as she closed her door.  
  
He didn't exactly know what he was getting himself into, but he knew he was probably going to find out tonight. So he'd be with the three most important girls in his life. It was about time they all got to know each other, it couldn't hurt in the long run could it?  
  
He guessed he would find that out tonight. 


	41. Chapter 41

Chris walked into the hotel room later that day. He had taken a walk with Victoria and then they had gone to get some ice cream. It was all very sweet and beautiful. He laughed at himself; he certainly was turning into a big softie. Too many women in his life was most likely the cause. Speaking of women, he wondered where Stephanie and Tristan were. He didn't have long to wait as he walked into the bedroom.  
  
They were both on one of the beds in the room. Stephanie was laying on her back, head to the side and obviously asleep. Her left arm was flung over the rest of the bed, holding what appeared to be a picture book, while her right arm was holding Tristan tightly to her chest. Tristan was asleep as well, her head tucked neatly under Stephanie's chin. She was laying on her stomach and her hands were tucked neatly by her head. He smiled as he stood there watching them.  
  
Tristan started to stir a little and he saw her eyes open up. He knew that she was going to cry soon, she usually did after her nap because she was hungry. He walked quickly over to the bed and picked her up gently off of Stephanie, careful not to wake her. Stephanie had been looking exhausted lately and probably needed some sleep. He took Tristan into the other room.  
  
"Let's let Mommy sleep," Chris told the little girl, "I bet she's really tired."  
  
Tristan's face started to scrunch up, and Chris rocked her quickly. He went over to her bag and grabbed a bottle out of it. He took it over to the microwave and started to heat it up as he kept rocking Tristan with one hand. She started to cry softly and he kissed her forehead.  
  
"Hey you, let's just give Mommy a little time to sleep alright? She's so tired."  
  
The bottle finished up and Chris took her out on the balcony to feed her. This gave him some separation from Stephanie so that she wouldn't be bothered. He held Tristan and gave her, her bottle, which she sucked on greedily as she stared up at him. He smiled a little and watched her eat.  
  
"Yummy huh?" he said, cooing at her gently, "Are you going to get to know Daddy's girlfriend tonight?"  
  
Tristan kept drinking happily.  
  
"Uncle Matt thinks that Daddy is just fooling himself about liking Victoria, but Daddy knows that he's wrong. I like Victoria, she's nice, and I'm sure you'll like her too."  
  
She pulled away for a moment and then went back to drinking.  
  
"I don't know what to think anymore," Chris said, "I think it's just all so confusing. One minute I'm thinking one thing, the next someone else is trying to tell me to think another. I think you're the only thing in my life that makes sense Trist. Crazy huh? Because there was a time when I never thought I'd even get to see you, and here we are now, and you are the one thing that keeps me sane. So thanks you cute little girl."  
  
Tristan pulled away, finished with her bottle, and smiled up at him. It was like she knew that was just what he needed. He smiled back at her happily and grabbed the baby towel and slung it over his shoulder to burp her. He rubbed her back gently until she burped and he laughed. Who'd have ever thought you'd see Chris Jericho succumbing to such domesticated rituals? She laid her head on his shoulder and he sighed.  
  
"The thing I'm most worried about tonight is about Mommy. What do you think Mommy will do?"  
  
Tristan snuffled a little bit as she shifted around on his shoulder, trying to get comfortable. Chris leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, trying to picture what tonight would be like. He honestly didn't have any idea, and part of him didn't want to find out either. He kept rubbing Tristan's back as he thought to himself. The quiet was pretty deafening until he heard the sliding door shift open.  
  
"There you are Trist."  
  
Chris felt Tristan's head raise off of his shoulder at hearing Stephanie's voice. He turned to look at her and smiled, "Did you have a nice nap?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks for taking her," Stephanie said as she stretched her arms above her head, "I think I needed a nap really bad."  
  
"I don't blame you," he said, "If you want to cancel on tonight, you can."  
  
"No, I'm good to go now," Stephanie said. If she was there, that lessened the chance that something would happen between Victoria and Chris.  
  
"Oh, good," he said, though it didn't sound as sincere as he had hoped, "Tristan is very excited."  
  
"Are you sweetie?" Stephanie asked, walking over to them, "Did you have a bottle?"  
  
"Yes Mommy," Chris said in a little baby voice, "Daddy fed me."  
  
"Aww, thanks Daddy," Stephanie said as she crouched down by Chris's shoulder, "Hey you, you want to go take a bath and get pretty?"  
  
Tristan looked at her for a moment, and Stephanie poked her nose gently. Tristan reached out her hand to try and swat at Stephanie's finger. Stephanie laughed and poked her nose again. Tristan again tried to grab her finger and made a little babbling sound. Stephanie took her from Chris and held her against her shoulder.  
  
"We'll be back Daddy," Stephanie said.  
  
"Hey, can I get a kiss before you go," Chris said, looking over at them. Stephanie looked over, pretending to think about it and then nodded. She held Tristan out to Chris and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Before he could though, Tristan kicked out her little leg and hit him right in the chin. Stephanie's jaw dropped a little before she started laughing hysterically.  
  
"Well, that's the first time she's done that," Stephanie snickered, "What'd you do to her?"  
  
"Oww Trist," Chris said, rubbing his chin, "You're such a bully."  
  
Tristan babbled happily as she looked at her Daddy.  
  
Stephanie kept laughing, "I don't think she likes you."  
  
"Obviously. Tristan, it's too early to be training for the ring," Chris told her, "Wait a few years."  
  
"Come on Trist, let's leave Daddy to lick his wounds by himself. I can already tell you'll have a bitch slap like Mommy's," Stephanie said as she took her inside.  
  
"Great," Chris called out, "Another one."  
  
"Oh, you love it," Stephanie called back.  
  
Chris just laughed and sat back against the chair again. Yeah, he knew that Tristan was going to be a wrestler. She just had to be; he could feel it. He smiled to himself, a little proud that his daughter was already showing great fighting skills. He heard Stephanie laughing from inside and smiled to himself. He always knew having kids would be an adventure, he just never thought it'd be an adventure he shared with Stephanie. But this past month and a half had been the best of his life.  
  
He sat there thinking about it for a while, until he heard a cooing and babbling behind him. Stephanie, her clothes soaking wet, was cuddling with Tristan as they walked out onto the balcony. Chris looked at his daughter, who was now in a pair of overalls and a pink long-sleeved shirt, with a small pair of tennis shoes on.  
  
"Wow, looking good," Chris said.  
  
"I know, she cleans up nicely," Stephanie said, "Now, if you'll just take her, I can get ready too."  
  
Chris looked at her, "Yeah, I'm not sure the wet look is that good for you."  
  
Stephanie gave him a look and then handed Tristan over to Chris. She went to the bathroom leaving Chris and Tristan alone again. Chris talked to her as he waited for Stephanie to finish up getting ready. He knew it would probably take her awhile, but checking his watch every so often had told him that she had been getting ready for over an hour.  
  
"Stephanie are you almost ready, I need to change and shower too you know!"  
  
"I'm almost done," she called back, her voice getting louder by the second, telling him that she was walking towards him, "Ok, I'm done. Hand the baby over."  
  
Chris stood up and turned around, and almost dropped Tristan. Stephanie took Tristan from him and his arms dropped to his sides. Stephanie was looking stunning, and he couldn't take his eyes off her, as cliché as that sounded. It wasn't even anything special. Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders and she was wearing a black skirt with gray flowers running up one side and then in a tank top. It was nothing special but she looked really good.  
  
"You're free to go Chris," Stephanie said, stepping aside so that he could walk in.  
  
"Oh yeah," he said, walking inside, "I'll be out in a little while."  
  
He showered and dressed quickly, slipping on a polo shirt and some dressy type slacks. He pulled his hair back as he walked into the living room area of the hotel room. Stephanie was sitting on the couch with Tristan sitting on her lap, leaning back against her as they read a book together.  
  
"See, there's a bunny rabbit," Stephanie said pointing to the book, "And there's where he lives and he likes to eat carrots."  
  
"Wow, what book is that, it sounds like a must-read," Chris joked.  
  
"Oh yeah, I can't put it down," Stephanie said as Tristan reached over to touch the book, looking like she wanted to turn the page, "Even she can't put it down."  
  
"You ready to go?"  
  
"We've been ready," Stephanie said, putting the book down and lifting her and Tristan off the couch, "I got her bag ready while you were getting dressed."  
  
"Great, because we have a six o'clock reservation and it's 5:25."  
  
"Oh yeah, it'll take forever to get to the restaurant," Stephanie said with an eye-roll, "Are we meeting Victoria there, or downstairs?"  
  
"She wanted to do a little shopping so we're just going to meet her there."  
  
Stephanie was glad for that. She didn't think she could go through an entire car ride with Victoria. All of them, confined to one car, it was not her idea of a good time. It would be like being in a mini-prison. She went over to grab Tristan's bag as Chris went and got his wallet. They left shortly thereafter, heading down to the parking garage that held their rental car. Stephanie put Tristan into her car-seat before getting into the car herself, wondering just what this night would bring.  
  
"Tristan, you have to promise not to order the lobster," Chris said, glancing to the back seat, "Daddy can't afford it alright?"  
  
"Oh, so that means that I can't get the lobster either," Stephanie said, "Damn, and I was so looking forward to it."  
  
"Too bad, my wallet wants to lose as little weight as possible."  
  
"Oh come on Uncle Moneybags, I'm sure that you can afford us," Stephanie joked, "We'll just order everything off the menu once, not twice. We'll share."  
  
"Very funny," he said, "But knowing Trist's appetite, she'll put me the poor house by the time she's five."  
  
"Aww, you can come live with me," Stephanie said, patting his arm.  
  
Chris just laughed as he drove the short way left to the restaurant. They parked and Chris helped Stephanie out of the car and then went to get Tristan. Stephanie waited for him, and looked at the restaurant. It was a nice place, but not so nice that they couldn't take Tristan inside. It looked very homey and welcoming.  
  
Chris walked up with Tristan in her carrier and her diaper bag in his other hand. Stephanie took the diaper bag from him as they walked towards the entrance. They didn't see Victoria around and wondered if she was inside already. Upon talking to the host, they found she wasn't, but got seated anyways. Stephanie put Tristan in the booth next to her as Chris sat across from them. Stephanie took Tristan and sat her up on the table so that she was facing Chris and Stephanie held her around the waist and let her cheek rest against Tristan's shoulder. Tristan looked around as Chris watched her.  
  
"Hey there my lovely girl," Chris said, giving a little wave, "Whatcha looking at?"  
  
Tristan just smiled at him, as Stephanie answered, "She's fascinated by all the people."  
  
A lady came up to the table, holding roses in her hand, "Would you like to buy a rose for your wife?"  
  
Stephanie laughed and looked down as the woman called her his wife. She wondered how Chris would react to that. She found it pretty funny. Just because they obviously had a child together didn't mean that they were together at all, but far be it for her to correct this woman. She looked up and gazed over at Chris, who looked pretty stricken with the calling of Stephanie as his wife, but then his look changed and he smiled up at her.  
  
"I'll take two, he said, one for my...wife, and one for my little girl," Chris said, pulling out his wallet to give the woman the money.  
  
Stephanie looked at him in confusion, wondering if maybe he would wait to give one for Victoria or something. He couldn't have meant one for her. The lady smiled at them and walked away as Chris held the two roses in his hand. He raised an eyebrow playfully and handed one over to her. Stephanie took it in her hand and looked down at it confusedly.  
  
"For you," Chris told her as she took it, "My wife."  
  
"But Chris--"  
  
"And one for my little girl," Chris said, letting Tristan look at the rose with her head tilted a little before giving it to Stephanie.  
  
Stephanie was a little taken aback as he handed her both the roses. She held both of them in her hand as she looked up at Chris. Now he was left without any roses to give to Victoria, having given them to her and Tristan. She was about to ask him why he didn't get one for Victoria, when the woman in question walked up to the table.  
  
"Hey you guys," she said, breezing over as Chris stood up to kiss her. Stephanie bit her lip and just bent down to smell the roses before she put them in Tristan's carrier for now. Victoria took a seat as Chris scooted into his side of the bench.  
  
"Hey Stephanie, how are you?" Victoria said brightly.  
  
Stephanie bit back a nasty retort at the other's woman's cheeriness, "I'm well Victoria, how are you?"  
  
"I'm great, I went shopping today and it's so hard to not buy everything I see."  
  
Stephanie actually laughed, "I know the feeling. There's been plenty of times where I just want to get everything I touch."  
  
"Great, I have to deal with shop talk all night long," Chris groaned, "Trist, how about you and me make a run for it?"  
  
"Oh be quiet," Victoria said, nudging him with her shoulder, "You'll have to deal with this for the rest of your life with a daughter in your life. Just you wait until Tristan gets older."  
  
"I'm dreading it if she's anything like Stephanie," Chris said, grinning at Stephanie.  
  
Stephanie scowled, "I'm not that bad."  
  
"Nah, you're not, but I'll have to put up with Trist huh? Right baby girl?" Tristan just looked at him, a little smile on her lips.  
  
She's so beautiful Stephanie, it must be incredible to be a mom," Victoria said as she reached over to touch one of Tristan's hands. Stephanie's possessive nature instinctively told her to pull Tristan out of Victoria's grasp, just like she wanted to pull Chris out of Victoria's grasp. Yet, she restrained because she could tell that Chris was really nervous about tonight.  
  
"Yeah, it is pretty incredible, but it's also pretty scary," Stephanie answered honestly.  
  
"Oh yeah, I can imagine it would be. She's so cute though, I don't think I've really gotten to tell you that," she said, "I mean, she looks so much like you."  
  
"A lot of people say she looks like Chris," Stephanie replied, a bit more bitterly than she had wanted it to be.  
  
"Yeah, she looks like him too," Victoria said, reaching over to grab his hand, "Totally cute and adorable."  
  
Stephanie wanted to throw up at the sweetness of that statement, but what made her want to throw up more were the looks they were sending each other. She seriously felt like the odd person out in this little picture and it made her feel suddenly uncomfortable. She kissed Tristan's cheek and whispered something into her ear. Tristan tried to turn her head towards Stephanie.  
  
"Stephanie, would it be ok if I hold her?" Victoria asked.  
  
Stephanie was hesitant at first, as any mother would be to let someone else hold her child. Especially someone who had the potential to be the child's stepmother. Stephanie glanced over at Chris and he looked at her pleadingly, silently asking for her agreement. It meant so much to him to have them get along. She just smiled and gave in, handing Tristan to Victoria over the table. Victoria took Tristan in her arms and cooed at the baby, smiling up at them as she held her.  
  
"Oh my God, I can't believe how adorable she is," Victoria gushed, "And she smells so good. Wow, this is so fun."  
  
Stephanie was hit hard with the image as Chris leaned over to kiss Tristan and then leaned up to kiss Victoria. Her heart hurt, ached and she felt as if she were assaulted physically. The pain of seeing this little scene, Victoria acting like she was Tristan's mother or something, it was just too much for her.  
  
She suddenly felt as if she were glimpsing into her future. Her, on the outside looking in at this perfect family. She suddenly felt like she was getting pushed out of the picture. Ever since Victoria had taken Tristan, she had been virtually ignored. Her face was stricken and she sat there frozen as she heard Victoria telling Chris how little Tristan's fingers were.  
  
"I have to go," Stephanie blurted out, causing Chris and Victoria to look up at her.  
  
"Steph, is everything alright," Chris said, noticing that Stephanie's face was a sickly, ashen color.  
  
"I--I have to go," she said, getting up and almost tripping over her own feet, "I just have to go right now!"  
  
Stephanie practically ran out of the restaurant, not looking back, not exactly knowing where she was going to go. Chris had the car keys, but she couldn't possibly stay there a second longer. That image, it was terrible, it was like Victoria was trying to take her daughter away from her, trying to take Chris away from her...if Chris was ever hers to get taken away.  
  
Chris sat there stunned before he excused himself and ran after Stephanie. Victoria sat there and bit her lip. She wondered if Stephanie was alright. She had looked a bit sick, maybe she had come down with something. She hoped whatever it was, it wasn't serious.  
  
Chris found Stephanie sitting on a bench in a little park across the street. He looked both ways before jogging across the street. By this time the street lights had come on and she was illuminated by an amber glow, her hair shining in the light. She had her head down and her hands on her knees. He sat next to her and put his hand on the small of her back, rubbing slowly.  
  
"Hey there gorgeous," he said softly, "Are you alright?"  
  
"No," she answered truthfully, "I feel like going home."  
  
"Why? What happened?"  
  
"Chris, I'm just...I don't know, it's hard being alone when you're happy, and you're happy aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm pretty happy I guess," he told her, "But aren't you happy Steph? You have Tristan."  
  
"But I kind of wish that I had someone to share it all with."  
  
Chris sighed and put his arm around her fully, "Who do you think you're sharing it with? You're sharing it with me."  
  
"It's not the same Chris, it's just not," she told him, looking at him seriously.  
  
"No, it isn't, but it's better. Who do you see with Tristan everyday? Who shares in every smile and giggle and laugh and funny joke? I'm here Stephanie, just because I'm with Victoria, doesn't mean I'm not here for you."  
  
"But what if you guys get more serious, what if you leave us?"  
  
"Is that it?" he asked, "Are you afraid I'd leave you?"  
  
She nodded a little, "Tristan was an accident, we didn't even want her, we weren't even together. I slept with you because my husband was sleeping around on me. She never should've existed."  
  
"Yeah, but she's also the best thing I've ever done, and the thing I'm most proud of in the world. Winning championships and matches and playing large venues and making CDs, yeah, they're fun. But then I go home, and I see this little girl who depends on me and loves me and who I love more than anything else, and everything I've ever done pales in comparison. And there's no way that I'd give that up for anything...or anyone. You're stuck with me Stephanie. And you're not getting rid of me anytime soon."  
  
She smiled at him, "You're right."  
  
"Yeah, I know, so how about we go inside, and have a nice dinner, and relieve Vic of her temporary babysitting duties? She's probably freaking out right now."  
  
Stephanie took his hand as they walked back into the restaurant. She couldn't predict the future. But he was right. Right here, in this moment, even if things were confusing and irrational and strange, she didn't mind it because she had everything she needed and wanted. She glanced over at Chris.  
  
Well, maybe not everything. 


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys, I hope you're still enjoying this, I know that it's not what a lot of you want right now, but be patient. :)  
  
~  
  
"Road trip!"  
  
Stephanie rolled her eyes as she sat on the lawn in her and Chris's backyard. She was sitting on a blanket in the beautiful sun with Tristan lying on the blanket next to her. She had her little activity center over her and she was currently batting away on a little rattle hanging down at her. Stephanie laughed and swung it around and watched as Tristan tried to grab at it.  
  
Chris ran for the pool and did a cannonball, creating a large splash. Hearing the loud noise Tristan turned her head towards the sound. Seeing Chris surface, she rolled over on her tummy to get a better look and Stephanie clapped for her, reading somewhere that she should encourage her whenever she did something like that.  
  
"Trist wants to see what you're doing," Stephanie told him.  
  
"Hey there," Chris said, swimming to the side of the pool and holding on to the edge as he looked at Tristan. She tried to push herself up to see him and he made funny faces at her, and he smiled and waved at her.  
  
"So what's this about a road trip?" Stephanie asked.  
  
"To Matt and Lita's wedding," he explained as he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes.  
  
"I thought we were flying," she said.  
  
"Yeah, but wouldn't it be more fun to drive?"  
  
"Tristan..."  
  
"You know she loves to be in the car Stephanie, and this way we can stop when she gets fussy and she won't be cramped in a plane for an entire plane ride."  
  
"But it takes like eight hours to get there from here," she said, "That's EIGHT hours in a car."  
  
"We'd stop along the way," he told her, "That's the good thing about driving, we can stop along the way."  
  
"Would Victoria be coming with?" Stephanie asked. Over the past month or so, Stephanie had been more accepting of Victoria, once she got past the fact that she wasn't trying to take Chris away from her and Tristan. They had even become what you could call friends. They weren't BFF, "Best Friends Forever," but they were much more friendly and accepting of one another. Stephanie didn't want to seem like the bitch in this situation and actually put forth an effort to like her.  
  
"Nah, just family," he told her, "Which is you, me and Tristan if you needed some clarification."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I did," she told him, "Fine, we'll go on a road trip to the wedding, but I'm not going to like it."  
  
He grinned impishly, "We'll make Mommy change her mind, right Trist?"  
  
Tristan babbled and tried to lift herself up again. Stephanie picked her up and sat her upright, holding onto her back so that she wouldn't tip over. She was learning how to sit by herself, but hadn't quite mastered it yet. She gave Tristan a rattle and let her play with it for a few minutes before Tristan got tired of it and started looking at Chris who was doing laps in the pool.  
  
"I think the little one wants to go swimming," Stephanie called out.  
  
Chris stopped swimming, "Do you think it'd be ok to bring her in here?"  
  
"I don't see why it would be such a problem."  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly, "I mean, she's so little and it's a lot of water."  
  
"Chris, I'm not planning on like, letting her swim by herself or anything, I was just going to hold her and maybe put her feet in the water."  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Oh come on, don't be a wuss, she wants to go in."  
  
Stephanie picked Tristan up and took her inside. Someone had bought Tristan a bathing suit, probably Chris's parents and she put a swim diaper on her before she went back downstairs. Chris was sitting on the pool steps waiting for them and Stephanie, who had already been in her suit gingerly stepped into the water. She stood in the shallow end before gently dipping Tristan into the water up to her knees. Tristan whimpered a little before kicking her legs happily.  
  
Stephanie gave Chris a look, "Told you."  
  
"Fine, fine," he said, "You were right, Tristan, one of these days, can I please be right?"  
  
Tristan smiled at him, and he couldn't help but think that was a smile of mischief rather than just a happy smile. He walked over to her and kissed her nose before dunking his head under water and coming back up, much to Tristan's delights. Stephanie watched Chris play with Tristan and then take her into his arms and walk with her around the pool. She sat on the steps and just watched them.  
  
She was trying very hard to suppress her feelings for Chris. Most of the time, she was successful because all she had to do was think of Victoria. But it was moments like these, where they were being an actual family that the line blurred and she felt herself...falling in love with Chris. She could admit it to herself, but she hadn't told anyone else that she was feeling this. She didn't think there was anyone she could tell. Anyone who knew would probably tell Chris, or in some people's case, try to get them together, and that was the last thing she wanted. If Chris wanted her, he would have to come to her himself.  
  
Of course, she didn't expect that to happen. She saw him with Victoria and he was happy with her. As much as she wanted Chris for herself, she just didn't think that she deserved him, not after the things she had done. She had broken his heart so many times, driven him to drinking, and taken his child away from him. Sure, she had amended those, but still, he deserved better than her. She was just lucky that he was in her life at all.  
  
"Hey Steph, you want to go inside, we probably should make an early start tomorrow," Chris said, as he held Tristan close to his body.  
  
"Yeah, we can have an early dinner, what time did you say the rehearsal dinner was?"  
  
"It's at like seven o'clock, so if it take like nine hours straight to get there, and we're going to want to stop occasionally, we should probably leave at like six."  
  
"That's fine," she said, "It's when Tristan usually gets up anyways. She's like our little human alarm clock."  
  
Tristan heard her name and turned her head towards Stephanie. They all got out of the pool and went inside to get dinner and then go to bed early to make sure that they were coherent enough to make the drive the next day. Stephanie only hoped that this little road trip wouldn't be the death of her. She wasn't really the road trip type.  
  
Stephanie was lying blissfully in bed, asleep, when a banging came on her door. She ignored it and turned over on her side to go back to sleep. Tristan would be up soon and she wanted the extra few minutes. The banging didn't stop and she yelled out for whoever it was to shut up. Chris came bounding into the room with Tristan in his arms.  
  
"Steph, rise and shine," Chris said softly.  
  
"Go away," she mumbled.  
  
Chris turned to Tristan, "You wanna lay down with Mommy until she wakes up?"  
  
Tristan smiled so Chris carefully lifted up the covers and got into bed with her. Stephanie didn't even notice since she was back to sleep as soon as she had mumbled to them. He laid Tristan on his chest and she turned to face Stephanie's back. Chris just laid there and smiled to himself, wondering when Stephanie would wake up. Apparently it was longer than it seemed as he himself dozed off next to her.  
  
Stephanie woke up, expecting to hear Tristan's cries. She looked at the clock, it was 6:42, and Tristan usually woke up at 6:10, like clockwork. She yawned and wondered why her daughter hadn't woken her up. She stretched and hit something and turned over. She gasped as she saw Chris lying there with Tristan on his chest. She rubbed her eyes, figuring that she was in a dream of some sorts. But when she opened her eyes, they were still there. She looked around, thinking she might have went sleepwalking during the night and somehow ended up with Chris, but no, this was her room. She was surprised, but pleasantly and just lay down and looked up at him. So this was what it would feel like to wake up to him every morning. It wasn't so bad. If she laid her arm across him right now he probably wouldn't be any the wiser. But she couldn't do that, because who knows what she might feel and it was bad enough already.  
  
She shook his arm gently, "Chris, wake up."  
  
"Hmm...."  
  
"Time to get up, you fell asleep."  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yeah, in my bed no less," she said, "How exactly did you end up in here?"  
  
"Tristan and I wanted to wait for you," he said as he looked to the infant asleep on his chest, "Seems we both fell back asleep."  
  
"Did you want to get ready now?" she asked. If she had her way, she and Chris would just lay in this bed all day. It was just really nice, laying here.  
  
"Yeah, let's get going before it gets too late and we have to drive straight there," he said, getting out of bed holding Tristan to him gently.  
  
It was 7:17 before they were finally on the road. Stephanie checked the backseat to make sure that Tristan was ok and found her babbling to her herself and clutching her little stuffed dog as she stared out the window. Stephanie reached back to poke her nose and Tristan turned her attention to Stephanie.  
  
"Hey there beautiful," Stephanie said softly, "You promise to be good today during the car trip."  
  
Tristan babbled her response.  
  
"She's saying yes because she doesn't want her parents to go insane," Chris said with a smile, "So how are you Stephanie?"  
  
Stephanie was perplexed by his question and just stared at him, "Chris, you see me everyday, don't you think you should know how I am?"  
  
"I know that, but you know, ever since I started dating Victoria, we haven't really gotten to talk, and since we're stuck in a car for the next few hours, I figured it was as good a time as any to you know, catch up."  
  
"I'm fine Chris, nothing new over here, still...stagnant."  
  
"Haven't you thought about seeing anyone?" he asked, reaching over to grab her hand, "I know there are probably tons of guys who would want you.  
  
She stared down at his hand as he rubbed it gently, "Nobody wants a woman with a baby. Too much hassle."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"It is, but I've dealt with it, so it's alright. I think I'll live."  
  
"Their loss," he said, "Because you are one of the most beautiful, smart, funny women that I know. And I happen to know that you make great kids."  
  
She laughed and stared at the passing scenery, "Yeah, tell the guys out there that."  
  
"They'll figure it out soon enough."  
  
She looked at him and smiled sadly. Why did she have to develop these feelings now? She had been perfectly content on just being Chris's friend, but something had changed, and it had changed drastically. She almost wished that he had never found out that Tristan was his, because it would've saved her the trouble.  
  
She sat quietly for the next hour or so, and Chris just glanced at her occasionally between singing along to the radio. Stephanie had seemed particularly withdrawn for a couple of weeks now, and he wondered if everything was going ok with her. He wondered if maybe he hadn't been attentive to her and Tristan. He had been spending more time with Victoria, that was true, but was he ignoring Stephanie in the process? He didn't want her to think he was turning his back on her.  
  
"You wanna stop soon," he said, "It's getting close to lunchtime."  
  
She looked at the clock, "Wow, it's almost noon, I didn't even realize."  
  
"Yeah, you were acting spacier than usual."  
  
"Hey, that's not nice," she said, "You know, Tristan's been pretty quiet lately."  
  
Stephanie looked to the backseat and saw that Tristan had dozed off. She smiled as she just stared at her little girl. She was like this little angel, the only thing that made sense to her. She made a shh sound to Chris and he mouthed to her asking if Tristan was asleep. Stephanie nodded and turned down the radio so that it wouldn't disrupt her.  
  
They kept driving, finally stopping in a fairly large city along the highway. There was a little café off the road and they pulled up to it, Chris parking the car. Stephanie got out and stretched her arms and legs. It felt good to get out of the car after sitting for so long. She went to go get Tristan because she couldn't leave her in the car. Tristan didn't wake up as she put her in her carrier.  
  
They walked inside the restaurant and were seated immediately. Stephanie put Tristan's carrier on the seat next to her, pulling up the little girl's blanket and rubbing her cheek softly, causing Tristan to wrinkle her nose. Stephanie was looking at the menu when she heard a small voice.  
  
"Hi, I know that this is probably really rude, but I was wondering if I could get an autograph?"  
  
She put her menu down and saw a girl of about ten asking Chris for his autograph. Chris, being the nice guy that he was, took a napkin and Stephanie handed him a pen. He smiled and asked the girl's name before scribbling something on the napkin. The young girl smiled excitedly and then turned to Stephanie.  
  
"Wow, are you two married?" she asked innocently.  
  
"No, not married," Stephanie answered nicely then leaned over and whispered, "But I wouldn't mind it if we were."  
  
The little girl's eyes lit up, "You should! He's cute!"  
  
Stephanie giggled, "Yeah, I know."  
  
"Hey, no talking about me," Chris pouted good-naturedly.  
  
"Oh sorry," Stephanie said. Tristan started to cry and Stephanie picked her up out of her carrier and held her while rocking her gently.  
  
"You have a cute baby," the girl said, "What's her name?"  
  
"Her name is Tristan, what's yours?"  
  
"Allyson, and my mom and daddy own the restaurant. So I'm here all the time. We never get any stars like you though. I watch wrestling all the time."  
  
"Cool, so do I," Stephanie said, "It's fun huh?"  
  
She nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, I watch it all the time. You were married to Triple H. He was really mean."  
  
"He wasn't mean all the time."  
  
"But he was mean, is that why you're with Chris now?"  
  
"You can say that," Stephanie said, "But Tristan is his daughter too. Don't you think she looks like him."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Ally, leave these people alone," a woman said as she walked over, "You'll have to excuse my daughter, she gets cooped up in here on the weekends."  
  
"It's fine," Stephanie said, "We were just chatting."  
  
They gave the woman their orders as she shooed her daughter away. Stephanie laughed as she watched her argue with her mother. She would probably be the same way with Tristan when she got to be that age. With the way things were going, she might have to be shooing her out of the wrestling ring. Tristan started crying again and Stephanie pulled out a bottle and hastily put it to Tristan's lips as her little mouth wrapped around the bottle and started eating.  
  
"Why does everyone think we're married?" Chris asked with a laugh.  
  
She looked at him, "I guess they just see the little girl and assume that we're married. I don't mind it, I mean, it's an honest mistake."  
  
"Yeah," he said, "And it's much easier to say that instead of the whole story of being friends who slept together and that whole thing."  
  
"True..."  
  
They got their food and ate quickly, walking out to the car again and going on their way after a quick diaper change. They drove the rest of the way, stopping for gas a couple of times, or for water for Stephanie. They talked about safe topics, topics that neither one of them felt were too deep to be contemplated, until Chris opened his big mouth.  
  
"I wonder what it would be like to be married..."  
  
"To Victoria?" she asked, trying to erase the bitterness from her voice.  
  
"No, just to anyone in general. What's marriage like?"  
  
"I don't know, it's different, I guess, I mean, I don't know, Hunter and I weren't a good marriage by any means," she muttered, staring down at the floor.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."  
  
"Did you ever think...about us married?" she asked earnestly.  
  
"Yeah, I have," he laughed, "Pretty stupid huh?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean...stupid," she said, looking over at him, "Us...stupid."  
  
"Can you even imagine?"  
  
"No..."  
  
She looked out the window for the rest of the trip, not speaking, not even feeling like speaking. She sighed and thought about how things were just not going her way. Would her life ever just make sense again?  
  
And why did she keep imagining her and Chris being married when it was only a stupid pipe dream? 


	43. Chapter 43

"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"I'm sure it'll be ok Stephanie," Lita said, "My cousin has baby-sat for years and years, Tristan will be in good hands at the reception, I swear to God."

Stephanie gave another worried look, "I guess that would be ok, I've just never left her with anyone before that she didn't know already."

"Steph, it'll be fine," Chris said, squeezing her hand, "I'll be worried right along with you."

She smiled at him, "Yeah, ok, but only until the reception is over, then we go immediately and get her."

Chris nodded, "That's a deal."

"Now that, that's settled," Lita said, "I really want to thank you both for being in my wedding. It means so much for being here for me, and oh my God, I'm getting misty!"

Chris just hugged Lita and laughed as he glanced over at Stephanie. Stephanie had been asked about a month ago to be one of the bridesmaids for the wedding. Stephanie had been so touched by the invitation, she and Lita had started hugging and jumping up and down. Since she had moved in with Chris and revealed Tristan as Chris's daughter, her, Lita, and Trish had become friends, which was nice, considering she didn't really have a lot of friends.

Stephanie smiled as Chris hugged Lita, "It's ok Lita, we're really happy to be here. It's always great to see two people so in love get married."

"Yeah, and you're a saint for marrying Matt," Chris laughed as Lita pulled away and hit him in the shoulder.

"That's my soon-to-be husband you are talking about!"

"Yeah, but he's not your husband yet," Chris pointed out, "So I thought I'd get a few insults in there before you get hitched so you can't beat me up."

"Can you keep him in line Stephanie?" Lita asked, glancing over at Stephanie.

"I haven't been able to so far, but there is one person who can," Stephanie said knowingly.

"Where is she?" Lita asked.

"She's over with her Uncle Shane," Stephanie said, looking over to see Shane holding Tristan as he talked to Trish.

"I'm so glad he could make it," Lita said, "It wouldn't have been the same without Shaners."

"He wouldn't have missed this for the world," Stephanie said, "He made me promise to keep him a secret until he got here. I didn't even tell Chris."

"I'm hurt by that Stephanie, I thought that we were best friends."

"Well, I told Tristan, I can't help it if she didn't want to tell you."

"So is Victoria coming tomorrow morning?" Lita asked as she looked to Chris.

Stephanie remained silent then and just looked around the room, not exactly wanting to hear Chris gush about Victoria...again. Her eyes settled on Tristan, who was leaning on Shane happily. She smiled a sweet smile as she watched her daughter's face as she watched various people around the room. She wasn't even aware that she was being watched at the moment. And not even by one person, but more like two.

Chris watched as Lita went to find Matt and then turned his attention across the table. He had been having a lot of fun at this rehearsal dinner and hoped that Stephanie was too. It was more like a huge party than anything else, since everyone who was coming to the wedding was invited, not just the people in the ceremony. She was sitting there, looking over at something and he turned his head slightly to follow her gaze. His eyes fell on Tristan who was squirming in Shane's arms as Trish let her grab her finger and smiled. Chris turned his look back to Stephanie and saw the sweetest smile he had ever seen on her face as she watched Tristan.

"You look beautiful tonight," Chris said as he leaned over the table, "I think that nine hours in a car really suits you."

She giggled and turned her eyes to him, "Yeah right, it's a miracle that I even look coherent right now. After Tristan's hour-long cry session I thought my hair would permanently turn white."

"Yeah, see, she only cries and acts obnoxious when she's around us and when she's around other people she's a perfect little angel," Chris said with a smile.

"That's true," Stephanie nodded, "Look at her over there being a little charmer."

They both turned to look at Tristan who was giving smiles for everyone who came over to visit with her. She had quite the crowd gathering around her and Chris just laughed because he knew that Tristan was just eating this up. One thing they were sure that she loved was the fact that she would probably be the center of attention anywhere they went. She was a smart little girl, which was probably why she chose to scream and cry her head off when only Chris and Stephanie were around.

"Everyone loves her," Chris whispered.

Stephanie looked over at him and nodded in agreement. She stared into Chris's eyes and saw a different kind of light in them. She stared deeply at him, trying to figure out whatever mystery he was holding behind his eyes. He reached over to lay his hand on top of hers across the table. She looked down at their hands and almost turned her hand over to come palm to palm with him and interlace their fingers in an intimate hand-holding gesture. Before she got the chance, Kurt Angle plopped himself down on the chair next to her and Stephanie pulled her hand away hastily, not catching the annoyed look Chris sent Kurt's way.

"Hey Steph," Kurt said brightly.

"Hi Kurt," Stephanie said politely as she looked over to him. She knew that Kurt had always had a soft spot for her. She did like him, but she always thought that his intentions were less than honorable when it came to her.

"You look really great tonight," he said smiling widely.

"Thank you."

"I just saw your daughter over there, she's really cute."

"Yeah, I know," Stephanie said, then looked over at Chris who was staring darkly at the two of them. Seeing an opportunity to do some potential damage to Chris, she smiled coolly over at Kurt, "She just loves being the center of attention."

"She looks like you, you're both beautiful." Stephanie laughed airily. That line was so cheesy, she almost wanted to hand him some wine. But she just blushed slightly.

"That's so sweet of you to say," Stephanie giggled, "It's not everyday that you get such a nice compliment from a great guy."

Now it was Kurt's turn to laugh, "Do you want to dance with me?"

"Yeah, sure," Stephanie responded as she let him help her up. She gave Chris a little smile as Kurt led her by the arm out onto the makeshift dance floor that they had constructed in the middle of the restaurant that Matt and Lita had rented out for the rehearsal dinner.

Chris sat back and watched as Stephanie wrapped her arms around Kurt's neck. Kurt pulled her in closer to his body, obviously surprising Stephanie by the look on her face. All Chris needed was one sign of her distress and he was ready to rip Kurt from her arms and save her. But she didn't seem to mind after a second as she whispered something into his ear, causing him to grin. Chris looked down and wished that Victoria could've come to this instead of flying in tomorrow morning. She had, had a dentist appointment that she couldn't miss.

"Chris, I think someone misses their daddy."

Chris looked up to see Shane holding Tristan who was starting to whimper. Obviously she was getting cranky and he looked at his watch. It was about the time that she ate dinner and went to bed. He took Tristan from Shane's arms and she calmed down a little as she looked up at him. He took a bottle out of her bag, which had been sitting on the table. She reached her hands out towards it as soon as she saw it and he shifted her in his arms and held the bottle for her as she started eating.

"Eat up beautiful," Chris said, not even noticing that Shane had sat down next to him.

"So how's Stephanie?"

Chris looked over at Shane, "She's fine, why wouldn't she be?"

"Well, the divorce and everything. I know that it was finalized recently. I didn't want to ask her about it in case it was a sensitive subject. I don't really think it is though..." Shane gave Chris a lingering glance.

"She doesn't really like talking about it, but overall, she's doing fine. I think that Tristan just makes it seem easier than it is."

"Yeah, I'm sure having her does," Shane answered, "What about you and Stephanie? The living arrangements going alright?"

"Great, fine, we're both very happy," said Chris, a little bit suspiciously as he regarded Shane. It seemed like he was suffering from an interrogation, but that couldn't be it.

"Look, I know my sister," Shane said, "And, please just be careful with her. She's...not as strong as she makes herself out to be, and I don't want her to get shot down again. I mean, Hunter, he slept with someone else and God, how did that make Stephanie feel, I just don't want her to go through that again."

"Shane, we're not dating," Chris told him, his brow furrowing.

"Chris, don't be blind," Shane responded, shaking his head a little, "Have you ever really seen Stephanie? She likes you Chris, more than just as Tristan's father. I've known Stephanie forever, and she doesn't go around sleeping with people who she doesn't have feelings for."

"Shane, she was upset."

"That may be, but there must've been something inside her that made her want you."

"I'm with Victoria," Chris said, "I don't think people seem to get that. They all seem to think that I'm dating Stephanie. She's just my friend. And Stephanie and I were together over a year ago, it's a moot point."

"I know you're with Victoria, that's why I'm telling you what I'm telling you. Just be careful with Stephanie, she doesn't deserve more hurt alright."

"Whatever Shane, I don't see what you all are thinking you see though. Stephanie and I are just friends. Granted, yes, we have a daughter together and that links us for the rest of our lives, but that doesn't mean that we're together. We're just friends."

"Ok, I just don't see it that way, and from what I can tell, nobody else buys it either."

"Well, they're going to have to 'buy it' because I think I'm falling in love with Victoria. I'm sorry that you all think you see something that doesn't exist, but that's what it is, it doesn't exist."

"Sorry I brought it up then," Shane said, getting up, "Bye Tristan, be a good girl for Mommy and Daddy."

Shane left then and Chris set his jaw. He was getting pretty tired of all this crap with people thinking that he and Stephanie were secretly in love with each other. He stared at Stephanie again and she was giggling over something Kurt had just told her. He scowled. She was looking fine with Kurt, not looking like she was hung up on him. He looked down at Tristan who had finished her bottle. He burped her and then put her in her carrier, watching her yawn as he started rocking it.

"Is my little baby tired?" Stephanie said as she walked up to the duo.

"Hey, having fun over there?" Chris asked, part curious, part demanding.

"Yeah, it was fun," she said as she rubbed Tristan's stomach, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, it's probably better if we want Trist to get to sleep," he said, "I guess our partying days are over huh?"

She sat down, "Yeah, I guess they are. You can stay if you want to, I can take the car back and I'm sure you can find a ride with someone. I know that you like to you know, hang out with people and stuff."

"Nah, I'm fine, we'll go back to the hotel, might as well get a good night's rest anyways, don't want to fall asleep during the wedding."

"Ok, it's just I don't want you to resent Tristan because you can't hang out with your friends anymore and have a good time."

"I don't," he reassured her.

"Do you ever...wish that you didn't have her, so you could, you know, go out and do all the stuff you used to do...I mean, you have so much responsibility now, and you can't exactly go out there and have fun anymore, and I just really don't want you to resent her, or me, because I let this happen."

"Hey, hey," he said, putting his hand on her arm, stopping her monologue, "I don't resent or regret anything. And YOU let this happen, if I remember correctly, we both let this happen. Sure, I liked partying and having a good time and staying out until the wee hours of the morning, but I like putting her to bed, I like waking up to her, so let's go back to the hotel. She'll probably fall asleep in the car."

Stephanie smiled and nodded. She was glad that she got that cleared up. She just didn't want to have to drag Chris away from anything that he really wanted to do. He got up and she followed suit as they walked around saying goodbye to everyone and telling them they'd see them all tomorrow. They hugged Lita and congratulated her and Matt as they got Tristan and her things and brought them out to the car. Tristan ended up falling asleep in her car-seat on the trip to the hotel and Chris gingerly carried her upstairs to their room. He changed her diaper, causing her to wake up and start crying. He put her pajamas on and then started walking her around the room.

"Come on sweetie, where's the cute little girl that everyone saw tonight," he whispered as he kept walking around. Tristan kept wailing loudly and Chris winced as she cried loudly right into his ear, "Shh, shh sweetie, it'll be alright."

"I think she's starting to teethe," Stephanie said as she walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas and her hair pulled back.

"But she's only four months old."

"They say that teething can start this early even if she doesn't have any teeth," Stephanie said, "But I could be wrong."

"Yeah, or maybe my little girl is just mad that she was woken up from a good dream," Chris said, "Come on sweetie, let's try and go back to sleep."

After a few more minutes of crying, Tristan finally fell asleep and Chris set her down in her crib. He rubbed her stomach a little and kissed her goodnight. She clenched and unclenched her hands a little and snuffled. Stephanie came over and kissed her goodnight as well. Then they both walked into the other room and turned on the television, finding a decent movie on one of the channels.

"Tonight was fun," Stephanie said, "Don't you think?"

"Yeah," he answered, "So what's going on with Kurt?"

"What do you mean," she asked.

"Well, I just saw you guys dancing and laughing and stuff and thought that there might be something there," he said nonchalantly.

She laughed, "Chris, do you really think that there is something going on with Kurt and me just because we danced?"

"Well, I know he's had a crush on you since forever, and I just wondered. I bet it killed him to find out that we had a kid together."

She shoved him lightly as she laughed, "Chris, that's a terrible thing to say!"

He laughed too and said, "It's the truth, that man has wanted in your pants since forever."

"You don't think I know, but I don't just let anyone sleep with me after all," she said, giving him a knowing smirk, "It takes a special guy to get me in bed."

"Hmm, so I'm part of the elusive club huh?" He nodded his head as if he were proud of this fact, and in a strange way, he was.

"Of course, and you're the only one who got me pregnant," she said, then turned serious for a moment, "I'm really happy for Matt and Lita."

"Me too, I think its about time they got married though. But yeah, I'm really happy for them too."

"Kind of makes me want to get married again," she told him, "Maybe in the future I'll get another wedding."

Chris stared at her and grabbed her hand, "I would've married you, you know."

She swung her head to look at him, "What do you mean by that?"

He shrugged, "When I told you I loved you, God, how long ago was that, like 10 months ago or something, I really meant it. I wanted to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. You didn't feel the same, but yeah, I thought that. You are part of my life forever though, so in a weird way, I guess it worked out."

She gave him and apologetic look as she spoke to him, "I shouldn't have treated you the way I did back then. I totally disregarded your feelings and I really shouldn't have. I shouldn't have treated you so poorly, and I'm so sorry I did."

He kissed her hand, "Steph, it's time to stop apologizing for that, we've both moved on, and we're happy now. I'm happy with you and Tristan."

She noticed he made no mention of Victoria, and for that she was kind of grateful. But the way he said things like that, it almost made her think that there was a chance that they could be together. She smiled at him and he ran his hand up her arm and then back down again. She was keenly aware of his touch and how it warmed her. His fingers sliding up and down were almost maddening to her.

"Chris," she whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back, his voice husky and deep.

"I want you to kiss me," she confessed, her eyes boring into his and her cheeks flushed as the sound from the television seemed to fade into the background. She hoped that she wasn't about to get rejected. He had every right to run to the room and lock the door. She had just told a guy with a girlfriend that she wanted to be kissed by him.

While she was mulling over her stupidity, the shock was overwhelming as his lips came forcefully down on hers. She almost fell back against the couch from the force of his kiss, but managed to steady herself by wrapping her arms around his neck, as his arms wrapped around her lower back. She let him kiss her and returned his kiss with the same amount of intensity, but then it was over as he pulled back breathlessly and with shame in his eyes.

"Oh my God, I shouldn't have done that," he said, looking around frantically.

"Why not?" she asked, scooting back and away from him, trying to create some distance.

"Vic! I think I'm falling in love with her, and then there's you, and we have a daughter, and we're obviously involved in each other's lives, and there's all this tension and unresolved feelings, and God my mother was trying to tell me about this, and did I listen, no, and then with everyone telling me to be careful with you, and that there's something with us, and I'm so damn confused."

The only thing that Stephanie actually paid attention to was the fact that he had said he thought he was falling in love with Victoria. It created a world of hurt in her stomach and she swallowed hard. But that wasn't important now, the important thing was trying to get Chris to calm down.

"Chris, calm down," she said, "It's ok, you don't have to worry about what just happened. It's just the tension and the wedding and stuff, and it was a mistake, easily forgettable."

"But that's the thing Stephanie, what if I don't want to forget it? Everyone is telling me to look at you, to talk to you, and I don't know anymore," he said, "I just don't know."

"Things don't have to work themselves out in a moment," she answered, "Look, you don't love me, you just said it yourself that you think you're falling in love with Victoria. Obviously that means you can't be in love with me. We'll just forget this even happened. We can do that right."

He nodded.

"Yeah, we can do that."


	44. Chapter 44

Stephanie tied the bonnet onto Tristan's head even though Tristan didn't seem to appreciate it. She was wearing a pink, frilly bonnet to match her white and pink dress that she was wearing to the wedding. They figured if she had a short nap before the wedding, she wouldn't be too fussy and would be able to sit through the wedding.

"Aww, isn't my little girl the most precious thing you've ever seen in your entire life?" Chris said, adjusting his tie as he walked into the bedroom, "Stephanie, can you fix this, its uneven?"

She looked over, "No, its not, you just think it is, its fine."

"You sure?" he asked again.

"Very," she responded, then stood Tristan up on her little legs, "How does she look?"

"Someone's going to upstage the bride," Chris said, "You look beautiful Trist."

Tristan smiled and Stephanie kissed her cheek. Her and Chris had successfully avoided talking about the kiss any further since it had happened last night. She didn't want to forget it, had felt something in his kisses, this all-powerful feeling that she just couldn't shake off, but it was better that way, at least for now. Things were still too up in the air...and Chris was still too involved with Victoria.

She couldn't force his feelings to change, even though hers had. If she could go back to when Chris had told her that he had loved her, she would've followed what she knew to be true, that Chris was what she really wanted. She realized it too late and now they were only friends. She kissed Tristan's cheek again, reassuring herself that she was doing the right thing.

"Can you hold onto her so I can get into my dress, then I have to go see Lita and make sure that she's getting ready? She's getting her hair done right now so I have a little time."

"Sure," he said, taking Tristan from her arms, "Are you going to be a good girl during the wedding?"

Stephanie walked into the bathroom with her dress bag and unzipped it. Lita had really picked some tasteful dresses for the wedding. She had forgone her usual edgy style for a more subdued theme to her wedding. The dress was a light brown, almost tan color but shiny and it was a simple spaghetti strap a-line cut dress that ran to the floor with a slight flair at the waist. She tried to zip it up and found that she couldn't get it all the way.

"Chris," she said, walking out of the bathroom slightly, "I can't zip up my dress, can you do it for me?"

"Yeah, hold on a sec," he said as he went to put Tristan in her carrier for a moment.

He walked over to Stephanie and found that she had only zipped up the dress half way and the rest of her back was exposed. He caught sight of her strapless bra and his breath caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. Stephanie pulled her hair out of his way, exposing her bare neck and he had the urge to kiss her neck and inhale her scent, which he knew to be a mixture of strawberries and baby powder. He had gotten the essence last night when he had kissed her. God, how he had wanted to kiss her, and then she had invited him to, but it had only ended with...well, with nothing really resolved. Maybe it was just better to let sleeping dogs lie.

"Chris, the zipper," Stephanie said, wondering what the hold up was.

"Oh, sorry," he said and zipped it up quickly lest he get anymore ideas as to what he really wanted to do to her. They were all very X-rated and he shook his head of those thoughts.

"Okay, I'm going to take Tristan with me, and then drop her off with Shane so he can take her to the ceremony, I guess I'll see you at the church?"

"Yeah, you'll see me at the church," Chris said, then went over to pick up Tristan, "Bye Trist, be a good girl ok, I'll see you at the ceremony and I love you."

"Chris, you'll see her in like forty-five minutes, you're not going away for a year," Stephanie laughed as Chris set Tristan back in her carrier and handed her over to Stephanie along with Tristan's bag.

"I know, so I guess I'll see you two later, I'm going to see how the groom is doing. You know, give him the pep talk."

"How are YOU capable of giving a pep talk when you've never been married?"

Chris rubbed his chin, "Good point, well, I can at least give him the fatherhood speech right?"

"That you can do," she told him, "See you in a while."

Chris watched as the two of them left and went to get his cuff links from the bathroom. He put them on and then left the room as well, heading down to where he knew Matt was getting ready. He knocked on the door and Jeff answered the door with a lazy smile as he let Chris into the room. Matt was sitting on the bed, wringing his hands and Chris looked to Jeff for an explanation.

"He's nervous," Jeff said simply, "Hasn't even spoken in the last twenty minutes."

"I have too," Matt cut off, "Hey Chris, you look nice."

"Well I didn't want to look like crap for your big day."

"I'm nervous."

"Yeah, I kind of got that vibe from you, not to mention Jeff actually telling me you were nervous. You shouldn't be nervous, today is going to be great, you're going to get married to the woman you love and it'll be great."

"Yeah, but right now, I'm freaking out, and I need a distraction."

"Distraction? You want a distraction, here's one for you, I think I'm still in love with Stephanie," Chris said, sighing as he sat down heavily next to Matt.

Matt and Jeff exchanged a look of knowledge before Matt turned to Chris, "Still?"

"Yeah, I never told you guys, but I told Stephanie I loved her...back when, and she turned me down, and...I don't think those feelings ever went away. I kissed her last night. I mean, she wanted me to kiss her, so it was mutual and all that, and I don't know, I just, I felt it still there."

"I told you," Matt said, "I knew it, everyone knows it."

"I don't think she loves me back though," he said, "I can't stand the fact that I feel like this, after everything, I don't want to get rejected by her again. And after the kiss...well, I told her that I didn't want to forget the kiss and she basically, well, she basically said that we should, so I'm trying, but I think I'm still in love with her, and then there's Victoria, and I think I'm falling in love with her, and I'm so damn confused."

"Well, this does take my mind off the wedding," Matt said, "Don't you think you should take that chance?"

"We're not like you and Lita, Matt. You knew that she would probably return your kiss. You've told me that you knew you were right. Stephanie and I, there's a lot of stuff that went down, and I don't know, I don't know what would happen if I told her about this."

"Yeah, but what if you never tell her and you have to hide these feelings with Victoria. Maybe your settling for Victoria."

"Man," Jeff said, "You know, the worst Stephanie can do is say no, you know, its worth the shot at her."

Chris tightened his ponytail, "She tried to take Tristan away from me. There was never any chance that Tristan was Hunter's, it was always just me. She...wanted to...she wanted me to sign away my rights to Tristan, not be involved, give her up basically..."

"She WHAT!" Matt exclaimed, "How could she do that to you, to her child's father?"

"Matt, she corrected it, she's apologized for it about a million times and we cleared it up...I just...I'm afraid I guess. There's just this delicate balance with me and Stephanie, and with Tristan its almost like, one false step and I could lose everything."

"I didn't know she had done that," Jeff said, shaking his head, "I mean, God..."

"You guys, don't hold it against her alright. She made a mistake, but she fixed it. She was just scared because of what happened with Hunter. She doesn't like what she did anymore than you did."

"Maybe you should back off," Matt said, "I mean, now I see this situation and its just really volatile, maybe it is better if you just take it down a notch."

"Yeah, but, then there she is, and...but I don't know how she feels."

"Stay with Victoria," Jeff said, "But keep an eye on Stephanie, you know, in case you do see something."

"Thanks," Chris replied, "Now that, that's over with, I say that we should head to the chapel and get our friend here married."

"Sounds like a plan."

Stephanie smiled as she saw Lita get her necklace clasped on her. She was going to make a beautiful bride. She had been a beautiful bride once upon a time. Of course that wedding had been a sham and never actually made it through. And she had ended up married to Hunter. She frowned sadly as she thought about the fact she had never had an actual wedding.

"You alright Steph?" Trish asked as she adjusted her straps.

"Yeah, I just miss Tristan."

"Oh yeah, that whole separation thing."

"You can say that," Stephanie said, "But you look beautiful Lita."

"Thanks," she said, "I think I'm ready to go to the church now. Hey, me in a church wedding, who'd have thunk that?"

"Not me," Trish piped in, "But it'll be all beautiful and special and most of all romantic. And Stephanie and I will have to stand forever doing nothing."

"Great, make me feel bad on my wedding day," Lita said as she grabbed her bouquet, "My mom is waiting down by the limo, so we should probably go."

"Alright, I'm ready, you Steph?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Chris watched as Matt made his way to the front of the church. Jeff was escorting Trish down the aisle and he was escorting Stephanie, whenever they decided to get here. Matt was nervously tugging on his tie, waiting for the signal to be given that Lita had arrived. Finally the limo pulled up and Stephanie and Trish got out, laughing about something as Stephanie held the bouquets and Trish held Lita's shoes. Next, Lita herself got out as her mother held her train for her. Stephanie and Trish walked up the steps, Trish giving Jeff a light kiss.

"You two look beautiful," Jeff told them, "The dresses look great on you. Don't you think Chris?"

"Yeah, you both look hot," he added. He glanced over at Jeff who just smiled in his direction. Chris gave him a dirty look as Stephanie went to stand next to him.

"So how's Matt?"

"I think he'll be fine once he actually sees Lita."

"Yeah, that's good," she said. They stood there a little awkwardly, looking at Jeff and Trish, who had decided that they wanted to spend their time before the wedding making out. Stephanie looked over to Lita who was putting her shoes on as her mother talked to her about something.

"This should be really nice," Chris said idly.

"Yup, it should be," she answered, "Really nice."

"Ok, guys, I'm ready," Lita said, grabbing her bouquet from Stephanie. Chris went over and opened the door to signal to the musicians that they were ready. He walked back over to Stephanie as they waited for their cue.

Finally they got their cue and Stephanie held her bouquet in one hand as she linked arms with Chris with her other. She looked at him and smiled and he pushed some of her hair out of her face, not wanting her to think she looked bad out there or anything. The doors opened and they both put their best faces forward as they walked down the aisle together. It was definitely weird, being in a church, hearing wedding music as they walked down the aisle.

Stephanie looked to her left and saw Shane holding Tristan as they looked at her. Stephanie gave the baby a big smile and Shane lifted up Tristan's arm and gave her a little wave. Chris looked over to see that and he smiled too before seeing Victoria, who was also smiling. He suddenly felt guilty, considering he had kissed the woman who was hanging on his arm right now. But with that guilt was a feeling of no remorse. He didn't regret what he had done, he just wished he had had better timing about it. He let go of Stephanie's arm as they reached the front and went to their appropriate sides. Matt smirked at him as Chris walked past and Chris just looked at his feet.

The wedding didn't take too long and before they knew it, the reception was in full swing and everyone was having a great time, eating and laughing and talking to one another. Stephanie was sitting with Tristan in her lap. Lita's cousin was going to take the little girl as soon as the meal was over, but Stephanie had wanted to hold onto her as long as possible.

She ate a bite of her food and looked over at Chris, who was making funny faces in Tristan's direction as she tried to reach out for him. He took her from Stephanie's arms and held her up over his head, still making funny faces at her as she looked down at him happily.

"Hey you guys, my cousin said she's done with her dinner so if you want to hand Tristan over, she's taking the kids back to the hotel," Lita said as she walked over to them.

"Ok, thanks Lita," Stephanie said as she and Chris stood up. Chris handed Tristan over to Stephanie as he picked up her bag and car-seat that they had kept with them. They took her over to Lita's cousin who took Tristan in her arms. Stephanie was a little hesitant to give up Tristan, but did and watched as Chris took the car-seat with him to install in the car.

She stood there and watched as Matt and Lita shared in their first dance together. They looked so much in love it made her kind of sad. She watched as various couples went out on the dance floor as well and almost envied them because she was alone. She looked down at her shoes, not used to being such a wallflower. This was definitely an unenviable position to be in, and she kind of wished she had gone back to her seat, but now there was an entire dance floor between her and her chair and circumventing the dance floor was kind of useless as she saw people talking everywhere.

"You want to dance Stephanie?"

She looked up to see Kurt standing there, "Sure Kurt, I'd like that."

She let Kurt lead her onto the dance floor and resumed the positions that they had last night. Chris walked back into the room, searching for Stephanie since she wasn't where he had left her. He scanned the dance floor and saw her dancing with Kurt. Chris sighed and watched her. He had been planning on asking her to dance, maybe have a little talk with her about...things. He sighed and stared at them for a moment.

"There you are," Victoria said as she walked up to Chris, "I've been looking for you...let's dance."

Chris smiled at her, and let her lead him onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist as he pulled her closer to him. She let her head rest against his chest. Chris could see past her while they were dancing and saw Stephanie still dancing with Kurt. She caught his eye as they turned towards his direction and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back before going back to talk with Kurt. Chris slowly migrated over so they were standing next to Kurt and Stephanie.

"Hey you two," Stephanie said, "Having fun?"

"Yeah," Victoria said, "What about you two?"

Stephanie looked at Chris, "Yeah, I am."

"Hey, how about we switch partners," Chris chimed in. Stephanie shrugged and nodded, as did Victoria and Kurt.

Stephanie took the few steps over to Chris and let him wrap his arms around her. She tensed a little as she felt his touch and just wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Chris took in his breath sharply, not expecting her warm, soft hands to touch the sensitive spot right below his hairline. He looked down at her and caught her eyes.

"Hi," he said, not thinking of anything better to say.

"Hey, was Tristan ok when you left?"

"Yeah, she pouted a little, but I think she'll be fine."

"Good," Stephanie whispered, "I was a little worried."

"She'll be fine," he reassured her, "Perfectly fine."

"I know."

He stared at her. He was sure then, he loved her. He still loved her so much that it hurt him to think that she didn't love him back. Why didn't she love him back? He could make her so happy that it would consume her, he could make her feel loved beyond anything else she had ever experienced. Why wouldn't she just let him have her, make her happy?

Stephanie looked up at him. She thought back to the kiss they had shared and how she had felt while he was doing it. She liked to think that he felt something too, but it was too risky to take the chance. He would probably reject her if she told him how she was feeling. He had every right to, after the way she had treated him before, it would be fitting for him to reject her.

If only they could both be sure...


	45. Chapter 45

Stephanie was drunk. It was such a nice, pleasant feeling. She felt as if she were walking on air and the rest of the world was hundreds of feet below her. Now she could understand why Chris had wanted to drink so much when she had made him give up Tristan. It numbed everything she was feeling and that was such a nice feeling. The better part was that nobody even knew she was drunk. She was good at hiding it.

After dancing with Chris, she had decided that since Tristan was with a baby-sitter, she could let her inhibitions go. And she so needed it after being so close to Chris, so close and yet there was a wall between them, a solid wall that she couldn't climb over no matter how hard she tried. After their dance had finished, Chris had wandered off somewhere with Victoria and she was alone again. Well, alone as one can be with a martini in hand at all times and Kurt constantly coming over to talk to her. God, he was annoying.

"Hey Stephanie."

Stephanie groaned and looked over, "What do you want?"

"Well, we haven't gotten to talk...ever, and you know, I really did want to talk to you...about what happened."

"Stacy," Stephanie sighed, "It's in the past, Hunter and I are divorced, I live with Chris, I have a child with Chris, its over now."

"I know it is, but you never gave me a chance to explain or...apologize."

"And you thought at Lita's wedding it would be? Look, I don't need this."

"I thought that this would be an alright time to talk to you because we're in a public place and because this is the first time I've actually seen you alone. Look, Stephanie, I'm really sorry about what happened, I know that you have every right to hate me, and if you do, that's fine too, but I'm still sorry."

Stephanie shook her head, "Stacy, I don't care anymore. Hunter and I are divorced, and it may be partly your fault, but it's not all your fault, so don't worry about it. Hell, you could go ahead and date Hunter for all I care."

"I just wanted you to know."

"Ok, thanks for letting me know."

Stephanie grabbed a fresh martini and got off the stool she had been sitting on. She wobbled a little on her feet, but managed to steady herself before she could topple over and make a fool out of herself. She wanted to go home right now. She was very tired and she needed sleep. If only she could find Chris, he was supposed to drive her home. She looked around, not bothering to acknowledge anyone that tried to speak to her. Finally, she saw him standing on the edge of the dance floor, talking with Jeff, with his arm around Victoria's waist. Stephanie walked over, trying not to scowl.

"Chris," she said as she walked over to them.

"Yeah Steph," Chris said, turning to her.

"I want to go, I'm really tired," she said, "Can we go soon?"

"Oh, yeah, I was getting pretty tired too. Vic, did you want a ride back to the hotel?"

"Oh, no," Victoria answered, "I drove my own car here. But you can go and then I'll leave in a little while. You said you were stopping by tonight."

"Yeah," he said, kissing her, "I'll probably stay the night, if that's cool with you."

"Of course," she smiled, "Just call me before you come over."

"Ok," he said, kissing her again, "I'll see you in a while."

While this exchange was happening, Stephanie had slurped down the rest of her drink in one gulp. Spending the night with Victoria, she didn't want him spending anything with Victoria. She hated Victoria, with a passions, with a fire. She practically slammed down the martini glass on the table as she waited for them to finish saying goodbye to one another. She closed her eyes, letting that feeling of floating take her over again. She reminded herself of her drunkenness and was happy to embrace it.

"Stephanie, you want to go now?"

She opened her eyes to see Chris looking at her peculiarly, "Mmhmm."

"Do you have a headache?" he asked her as they walked out of the reception hall.

"Nope," she said. She wouldn't call this deliciously beautiful feeling a headache. It was better than a headache. It was like an out-of-body experience.

"Just making sure, I know you're not used to the music they chose," he laughed as they got in their car, "So do you want to go get Tristan first or do you want to go to the hotel room and then I'll get Tristan?"

"Can you go get her, I just want to lie down."

"Maybe I'll just stay in our room tonight, you're probably exhausted and I don't want you to have to watch Trist all night. I'll call up Vic when we get to the hotel and let her know."

"That's fine," she said, wishing she had another martini so that the incredible buzz that she was on wouldn't die down like it was doing. She wanted to feel good forever, and doing that without the drinks wasn't helping.

Somehow they got back to the hotel. It was a good thing Chris didn't drink anymore, Stephanie thought, or else they might be stuck there for who knows how long and she just wanted to go to her hotel room and climb in bed. She wasn't aware that she had dozed off in the car and that Chris was now carrying her up to their room. It must've looked pretty silly to anyone who saw them.

They got to their room and he let her down momentarily as he opened the door, lifting her again and taking her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, where she instinctively curled up and promptly fell asleep. She must've been more tired than he thought; he should've been more considerate during the evening, making sure that she was fine, but every time that he wanted to check up on her, she was always with Kurt.

He left her there before going to Lita's cousin's room and knocking on the door quietly. She opened the door and let him inside, seeing the kids she was baby-sitting all asleep for the most part. Tristan was up and looking around from the bed. He went over to pick her up and her eyes lit up and she smiled when she saw him. He took her things and paid the sitter before going back to his own room.

"I hope you were a good girl all evening Trist," Chris said, "I don't want to have to come up with some sort of excuse as to why you're a bad girl."

She smiled at him and then leaned against his chest as he set her things down by the entryway. He took her over to the crib, which was in the middle of the living room, keeping a sort of separation from Stephanie and Chris. Just enough to not be overprotective, but not be too far away from her. She was practically asleep and he kissed her nose before laying her down, watching her sleep for a moment.

He went into the bedroom and sat down on his bed, glancing over at Stephanie, who was still asleep on her own bed. She kind of looked like Tristan in that moment. Or rather, Tristan looked like her when she slept. Like angels really. All they needed were halos and glowing lights to surround them and they would complete the transformation. He picked up his cell phone from the nightstand and dialed Victoria's number.

"Hello?"

"Vic, its me."

"Me who?"

"Chris me who."

"Oh, that who, what's up? Are you coming over right now?"

"Actually, Stephanie pretty much conked out as soon as we arrived and I don't want Tristan to wake her up, so I'm going to stay here tonight, is that fine with you?"

"Of course, you have to put Tristan first," Victoria said, "I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast though right?"

"Definitely, I'll come by and pick you up."

"Great, can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait either, sweet dreams." 

"Night."

Chris put the phone down after ending his call and looked over at Stephanie once more before getting up. He grabbed his pajamas and went into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. When he was through, he walked out of the bathroom and saw that Stephanie had gotten up and changed into her pajamas and was waiting to use the bathroom. He smiled at her before she brushed past him into the bathroom. He got into his bed and turned off the lights, closing his eyes. He didn't know how long Stephanie took, but suddenly he felt someone climbing onto his bed.

Stephanie saw Chris lying there and she didn't know why, but she wanted to just climb into bed with him. Being drunk had helped her lose that part of the brain that would've told her it was a bad idea, and now all she could think was that it was a great idea. Chris opened his eyes and saw her lightly from the light from the bathroom, his eyes widening as he saw her hovering over him, with a strange feeling surrounding her.

"Steph, what's up?" he asked, his breath stinted and slow.

"You're so handsome," she told him, looking at him, "So handsome."

"Well, thanks, you're beautiful."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely."

"I love you Chris," she said, honesty filling her voice.

Chris's heart stopped, or at least that's what he thought it did because for a moment, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. But even heaven couldn't be this good to him. Heaven didn't have Stephanie McMahon, Earth did, and here she was, telling him the words that he had wanted to hear for God knows how long. He reached up and swept her hair away from her face, letting it settle against her back.

"Stephanie, I don't know what to say."

"I love you so much," she whispered, "So, so much, a lot, you know, so much."

"Good, cause you know, I--"

She leaned down to kiss him and he welcomed her hot mouth on his. He reached his hand up to tangle in her hair, letting the silky, brown ringlets flow between his fingers as he pulled her closer. She was half way on top of his now, one of her hands caressing his side as the other was holding onto the arm in her hair. She slipped her tongue in his mouth and she deepened the kiss.

It was then that Chris could taste the alcohol that was lingering on her breath, in her mouth and he pulled away breathlessly. He stared in her eyes and saw that glazed over look. She was drunk. That's why she was acting so screwy and everything. She was drunk and she didn't even know what she was doing.

"Chris, why'd you stop?" she whined, leaning down again, wanting to feel his lips crush hers again.

Chris's heart broke a little as he realized the truth of the situation. Stephanie didn't love him; she was drunk and spouting off nonsense. The words he wanted to hear SO badly from her lips had only come because she had had too many martinis in too short a time. It was too good to be true, he knew that it was too good to be true. How stupid was he, thinking that she was actually confessing her love to him. Like that would ever happen.

"Steph, you should go to your bed."

"I want to stay here with you," she said, settling herself against him, "It's nice here."

She didn't sound drunk. She must be really, really good at holding her liquor or something, because he had had no idea whatsoever that she was drunk. He had to hand it to her, she really had him going for a second there. He snorted in disgust of himself, how could he let his emotions get in the way like that? He only then realized that she was still lying against him.

"Come on Steph, go back to your bed, you'll sleep better there."

"Chris, do you remember when we slept together?" she mused.

Chris looked down at her head. He didn't want to think about that night. It had been a pretty incredible night, and they had gotten a kid out of it, that's how spectacular that had been. But if he thought about that night, if he allowed himself to remember, he'd remember and see things in his mind that he didn't want or need to see. He'd see the way she looked without clothes and the way her eyes would stare up at him, those mesmerizing, captivating blue eyes. And he wouldn't allow that to happen to him again. He couldn't do that again and give her up.

"Stephanie, I really think that we should go to bed now, you're going to have a HUGE hangover in the morning."

"It was good that night," she said, ignoring everything he was saying, "You made me feel so good, I forgot completely about Hunter."

"Yeah, that was the point of that night," he said quickly.

"Uh huh, but it was so much better than that," she said, "Don't you ever...want to do that again?"

Was she deliberately torturing him? Maybe she was. Maybe she was trying to get back at him for something. He just stared up at the ceiling, unconscious of the fact that he had wrapped his arm around Stephanie tighter so that she was now laying firmly at his side, her head lightly resting on his t-shirt covered chest. Somehow, her hand had slipped underneath the shirt and was now making circles across his stomach, her touch hot on his skin.

"Steph, I don't think we should be discussing this right now, it'd be better if you just go to your own bed and go to sleep."

"Chris, what would you say if I told you that I want to do that again?"

His breath caught as he realized she was rubbing his chest. He closed his eyes, trying to regain composure, "Stephanie, we can't do that again. We're not together."

"I want to be together," she whined, "I want to be with you, be with me Chris, please, I love you."

"Stephanie, you don't know what you're talking about, you don't know what you're saying."

"I do," she argued, "I know that I want you, more than I wanted Hunter, more than I wanted any man ever, why don't you believe me?"

"Stephanie, you're drunk."

"Not so drunk," she said, "I don't remember how much I drank, but I'm not drunk."

"Stephanie, you're drunk, I can tell. You're damn good at hiding it, but I can tell, your mouth--"

"Tasted good?"

"Stephanie, please, just go to your bed."

"I want you Chris..."

Stephanie then threw her leg over his body and sat up, straddling his lap. He stared up at her in rapture, not taking his eyes off of her body. He could do this with her, right now, he could sleep with her again. He wanted to, he really did, there was a deep need right now to just take her and ravish her and love her, he could almost feel it rising up in him to a fever pitch. He could just take her and do the one thing he had wanted to do again since that first and last night they had had together.

But then, she'd wake up and not remember a thing. Would that be a burden or a blessing? He could sleep with her now and she wouldn't remember. She wouldn't even know what had happened. But then, she didn't love him, and he loved her, and that would be too hard on him, he wouldn't be able to contain those feelings for her, and he'd get rejected again.

But she was so beautiful, the light from the bathroom just catching her eyes and making them sparkle in the most gorgeous way. How her hair was a little frizzy from lying down and how just naturally beautiful she was, without the make-up, without anything. She was so...beautiful and he couldn't think of the words that could actually give her justice. He reached up to stroke her hair a little before sitting up to meet her eye to eye.

"Stephanie, if we do this, we're both going to regret it. For Tristan's sake, we should probably just go to bed in our separate beds," he told her, the words catching in his throat even as he said them.

She stared at him for a second, and he thought he caught a few unshed tears glistening in her eyes. Why would she want to cry though? It wasn't like she was pining away for him, the way he was to her. She got up off of him quietly and went back over to her bed, laying down with her back to him. He kept reminding himself that she wouldn't remember any of this in the morning. That was his only comfort.

Eventually he heard her breathing even out, signaling that she was asleep and he got up from his bed. That had been one of the hardest things he had to do. Why were all the hardest things he had to do always somehow linked to Stephanie? He didn't know, but he walked back out into the living room thinking about it. He needed some reassurance that he had done the right thing and there was only one thing he could think of to make him feel like he was right about what he had just done.

His reason was lying on her back, her head nodded off to one side. She was breathing rhythmically and it was a comforting sound. Her fists were clenched up, one around her dog. He reached down to grab a hold of her little hand, opening up her fist and looking at her tiny little fingers. He rubbed her palm a little, reveling in how soft her baby skin was. She was his reason for stopping things with Stephanie. She was his reason for everything, including living.

"Trist, please let me be doing the right thing."


	46. Chapter 46

She woke up with a hangover, but it actually wasn't that bad. She sat up and the room was spinning a little, but not so much that she couldn't stand. It wasn't anything that a good, strong cup of coffee wouldn't fix right up. She looked over to the bed next to her and saw that it was empty. She sighed and laid back down, wondering where Chris had gone. She didn't want to think about last night, didn't even want to remember last night.  
  
Except she did.  
  
He didn't want her. She had confessed her feelings to him and she had gotten a huge rejection in return. He had claimed she was drunk, but it was true, she wasn't so drunk that she hadn't known what she was doing. She was good at holding her liquor and while she knew she had been drunk, everything she had done had been with a sense of consciousness, but Chris hadn't believed her...or he hadn't wanted to believe her.  
  
She was so stupid for thinking that he would just open up his arms to her and tell her that he loved her with everything in him. She had thought...for a brief moment, for a fraction of a second, in the second she had told him...that he might feel the same. She had seen a flicker, an almost flame in his eyes, one that she had never seen before, and it was for her and nobody else, but then he had rejected her and she had cried herself to sleep, silently, hoping that Chris wouldn't hear.  
  
She got out of bed, hoping to just leave the past night behind her. Obviously Chris didn't want her and she had to try and move on now, move on and find somebody new. She couldn't pine away for Chris forever, especially when he was so happy with Victoria. She deserved better than that, she deserved someone who put her first, not someone else, and right now, Chris wasn't that person. Maybe he would never be that person for her, she might never find out.  
  
She went into the other room and went to look in Tristan's crib; she wasn't there. She figured that Chris must've taken her to breakfast with him, she remembered him saying that he was going to have breakfast with Victoria. She went into the bathroom to inspect the damage. She didn't look as bad as she thought, but her eyes were certainly a little lackluster. But that could've been the flow of rejection that lay in the blue pools of her eyes, Lord knew it was running through every other part of her.  
  
She slowly washed her face and tried to make herself look presentable. She didn't feel like doing anything this morning, it was almost as if she was giving up. The hope within her that her and Chris could find some sort of common ground was now laying in a pile of ashes at her feet. She wouldn't cry though, not anymore, she was better than that, stronger than that, and she refused to give in to the tradition that she should cry her eyes out. How long she could keep that up, she didn't know.  
  
She got dressed and headed downstairs to find Chris and Tristan. She knew they were probably with Victoria, and she knew that it would hurt when she saw Chris and Victoria together. It hurt when she thought there was a hope for her and Chris, and she imagined the hurt would now multiply until it threatened to rip into her chest and cause her to fall. She walked into the café off the lobby and saw them sitting there. Tristan was in her carrier and Chris was feeding her a little bit of baby food, which they had recently introduced into her diet. Victoria was talking as he fed her and he would smile over at her occasionally. Stephanie closed her eyes momentarily, trying to burn the image from her brain, but forced them open again and then forced her feet to move towards them.  
  
"Morning," she said, as chipper as she could muster at the current moment.  
  
Chris looked up and gave her a strange look as his eyes fell over her. She seemed fine, but she must have some sort of hangover, she was so drunk last night. He hoped she didn't remember what she had said, it would be worse if they both remembered. He remembered and he didn't want to. The words that he had waited so long for had come from her beautiful lips and they hadn't meant a thing to her.  
  
"Hey Steph," Victoria said, smiling, "Have a seat, we were just going to order breakfast."  
  
"Oh, I don't know if I'm going to stay," she said hesitantly as she sat down, "I was just kind of wondering where Tristan was, and now that I've found her, I can probably just go."  
  
"No, stay," Victoria answered, "You should eat breakfast, most important meal of the day after all."  
  
Chris laughed, "Yeah, if you want to stay, you can Steph."  
  
"Well, I didn't want to intrude or anything," she said, her eyes going from Chris to Victoria, trying to assess whether or not they were on a date.  
  
"You're not," Victoria said, "It's just breakfast, and I'm sure Tristan would want you here, you are her mommy after all."  
  
Stephanie looked at Tristan and grabbed her finger, "Was Daddy feeding you?"  
  
"Yup, she got some nice applesauce for breakfast and her bottle," Chris said, cooing at his little girl.  
  
"Yum," Stephanie said, "I'm not that hungry, kind of had too much to drink last night."  
  
Chris looked down as she said the words. Here he was caught between two women and life had never seemed more confusing. He liked Victoria, he really did, and she made him happy, but was it the kind of happy he needed to be? He didn't think in the long run that it would be. He wanted the woman who was sitting across from him, Stephanie, hadn't it always been Stephanie?  
  
He mentally scolded himself for getting carried away in his thoughts like that. Stephanie did not want him, she surely would've told him by now if she had feelings for him, wouldn't she? Stephanie wasn't the kind of girl to keep things like that held in, she would've said something, but she hadn't, except in a drunken stupor that didn't mean anything. He needed to forget her, at least for now.  
  
"Ouch, bad hangover?" Victoria asked sympathetically.  
  
"No, not really," she said, "Just a little head pounding."  
  
She dropped her head down to the table comically and the three adults heard a giggle coming from the fourth person at the table. Stephanie's head shot up and she looked across the table. Tristan actually laughed. Stephanie put her head back down and Tristan once again laughed. Stephanie looked across to Chris and he smiled widely at her, hardly believing it himself.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Stephanie said excitedly, "Did you?"  
  
"Yeah," Chris said, "Wow...just wow."  
  
"She is so cute," Victoria said.  
  
"Oh my God," Stephanie said, picking up Tristan, "You are the most adorable baby in the world."  
  
"That she is," Chris added, "God, she laughed, I'm...wow, she laughed."  
  
"You're so cute," Victoria said, grinning at Chris, "Getting so happy."  
  
She leaned over the table to kiss Chris and Stephanie felt a pang of jealousy flare up in her as she looked over at them. It did hurt, and she wanted it to stop. Hadn't her lips been all over Chris's last night, hadn't he been the one tangling his hand in her hair? It seemed like a dream now, a dream that was so beautiful it hurt to remember.  
  
"Oh, you guys, I forgot that I was supposed to call...my dad this morning to talk about...storylines," she said hastily, "I'll just order up some room service or something, you guys enjoy your breakfast."  
  
"Are you sure?" Chris asked, "You can just eat quickly and then call him, I'm sure he'd understand."  
  
"I just want to get it over with," she said, "Here, you can watch Tristan."  
  
"Ok," Chris said, taking the baby from her, "I'll see you in a while."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Stephanie walked out of there without looking back. She walked over to the elevators and stood waiting for one. She got on and went up to her floor. It was much to her surprise that she found Hunter waiting for an elevator down. They stared at each other for a moment.  
  
"Hunter, I...didn't expect to see you here, I didn't see you at the wedding."  
  
"Yeah, actually," he said sheepishly, "Stacy wanted me to come, she and I are kind of..."  
  
"Oh," she said, "Congratulations."  
  
"I didn't want you to find out like this, I was..."  
  
"Hunter, I'm fine with it," she said, meaning it, "I actually have bigger problems."  
  
He could sense that she was troubled and his old instincts kicked in big time, "Did you want to talk about it? I mean, we were married and everything, I'd like to hope that we could stay friends or something, you know."  
  
She thought about his offer. Anybody else she told would probably let it slip to Chris, but she knew that Hunter wouldn't. She could trust him, even though they weren't together. They hadn't ended on bad terms, they had just grown apart to the point that they fell for other people. At least he was with that other person.  
  
"Yeah, actually, I would like to talk about it," she said, "Is there any place that we could go?"  
  
"Yeah, Stacy went to go get a manicure or something, we can go to our room," he told her, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her to his room. She stepped inside and went to sit on the couch. After closing the door, he joined her, "So what's on your mind?"  
  
"It's Chris," she said.  
  
"Is he treating you badly or something?" Hunter asked, remembering what he had told Chris, and ready to kick his ass if he hurt Stephanie.  
  
"No, not at all, he's the best," she said quietly, "And therein lies the problem."  
  
"What's the problem?" Hunter asked, putting a comforting hand on her knee.  
  
"I'm in love with him," she said, her voice quiet and she looked up at Hunter, tears of sadness in her eyes, "I'm so in love with him."  
  
"Oh Steph," Hunter said, knowing about Chris and Victoria. He took her into a hug, "I never thought I'd be trying to comfort you about another man."  
  
"I never thought I'd be in you and your girlfriend's room," she said, laughing through her hurt, "How times change huh?"  
  
"Yeah, so why don't you tell Chris how you feel? I'm sure that he wouldn't be too upset to hear it."  
  
"I told him last night," she said, "I told him that I was in love with him and he rejected me."  
  
"He did?" Hunter asked incredulously, "Who could ever turn you down Stephanie?"  
  
"He thought I was drunk," she said, "And I was, but I wasn't so drunk that I didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted him to know, I want him to choose me Hunter. I mean, I'm the mother of his child, doesn't that mean anything?"  
  
Hearing about how Tristan was Chris's daughter still hurt Hunter a little, though he was mostly over it, "Maybe you need to tell him again, while you're completely sober."  
  
"I can't, he'll just reject me again. I think he's in love with Victoria, I hurt him Hunter, I hurt him so bad, and he'll never want me. He loved me you know, he told me, when we were still married, but I loved you, and I rejected him, and I guess now it's my turn."  
  
"You gave him up for me?"  
  
She pulled away and laughed, "Don't flatter yourself, I just didn't know what I wanted at the time."  
  
"Oh," he smirked, "But you chose me."  
  
"This is not helping my problem," she said, "Should I take a step back? I mean, he does have a girlfriend, and hasn't there been enough backstabbing in his little story?"  
  
"That's up to you Stephanie, if you love him as much as you say you do, then you have to do something, you can't just sit back and wait for him to come to you, because maybe he's waiting for you to come to him."  
  
"But--"  
  
"No buts about it," Hunter said, "Stephanie, if you really want to be with him, you should. You two have a child together, I mean, that makes you almost automatically a couple. How's the living arrangement?"  
  
"Great, I feel...I feel like we're a real family, you know, just together all the time, but then he's off calling Victoria or something..."  
  
"Steph, if you really think he doesn't love you--"  
  
"Sometimes, I think he does," she told him, "I don't know, I mean, I see this...look in his eyes, but most of the time, I think it's just because I gave him Trist."  
  
"Well yeah, that would make any man love you," he said, "If you're so concerned though, that he doesn't love you...maybe you should try to move on as well, find a guy out there who you'd like to go out with."  
  
"Yeah right, the only person who actually has a crush on me is Kurt, and I don't think I want to stoop that low," she told him, "Besides that, I can't think of anyone."  
  
"I'm sure someone would love to go out with you," he said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, "Just because you're divorced to one guy, and have a kid with another, doesn't make you damaged goods."  
  
"Wow, you just made me sound like a slut."  
  
"Nah, that's Chris's territory when it comes to calling you names."  
  
"Thanks for cheering me up," she said gratefully, "Most of my friends are Chris's friends, and I always feel like if I talk to them, they'll go run to find Chris and tell him what I said."  
  
"I'm glad you could come to me. I don't hate you Stephanie, because it was me who screwed up. I don't want you going around thinking you were the one who screwed up. You may have a kid to prove that you did something, but I'm the one that drove you to Chris's arms."  
  
"I don't know whether to thank you or strangle you," she joked.  
  
"If you get with Chris, I expect a nice gift basket," he told her, hugging her again, "Talk to me anytime."  
  
"I'll take you up on that offer," she said.  
  
"I'm sure you will."  
  
"I better get back to my room, I lied and told Chris that I had to call my father for work. I just couldn't bear to see him with her. But I don't want him to know I was lying."  
  
"Alright," Hunter said, leading her to the door, "We'll talk later."  
  
"Yeah, we will."  
  
He opened the door for her and they both stepped out into the hallway. She leaned up to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as he wrapped his own around her slender waist. As he pulled away, he gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. She smiled gratefully to him and kissed the tip of her fingers before lightly touching them to his cheek with her lips turning up ever so softly.  
  
Chris stood frozen at the other end of the hall, Tristan in her carrier, gurgling and babbling softly. He had seen the door open and the two figures step out, but he thought he was in some sort of nightmare. He blinked a few times, trying to make his eyes and brain see something different, but every time he opened them again, they were still there, hugging and...kissing each other in a friendly manner.  
  
He put his free hand over his heart, making sure that he was still alive, that his heart was still beating, because he wasn't sure if he had died and gone to hell. This was surely some form of torture, because he couldn't move, he remained rooted to his spot, staring, studying, and worried for some odd unknown reason. Or maybe the reason wasn't unknown at all. He knew why he hurt so bad, he knew why he felt like someone had hacked off his legs and caused him to collapse on the floor.  
  
He loved Stephanie, and there she was, with Hunter...again. His worst fears crept up into his mind. He turned on his heel and walked quickly to their room, going inside and busying himself with changing and taking care of Tristan. If he didn't, he'd be forced to think about what he had just seen.  
  
And he wanted to forget it...badly. 


	47. Chapter 47

The next couple of months came with an uncomfortable silence. Chris never told Stephanie what he had seen, and Stephanie never told Chris where she had been. And so they just kept pretending, except now it was pretending with a definite strain on their relationship. Neither one knew how to talk to the other, so they simply co-existed for the benefit of their daughter.  
  
Chris had thrown himself into his relationship with Victoria. If Stephanie didn't want him, then there was someone who would. He and Victoria were progressing nicely, and he had even told her that he loved her. It wasn't even just a way to get away from whatever he had for Stephanie; he did love her. She made him happy and he was glad to be around her.  
  
Tristan was growing so much as well. At almost seven months she was still her happy, bubbly baby self. She had smiles and laughs for everyone she encountered, and she was the one thing that kept Chris and Stephanie from falling apart. They both loved their daughter far too much to jeopardize anything in their relationship.  
  
But things were still strange.  
  
Stephanie sat in Hunter's dressing room. She never thought that he would turn into her confidante, but he was, and he actually listened to her. It was better than their marriage, which was odd in some ways, but better in a lot of ways. They came to realize that they just should've been friends all along. They were better at it. Of course, to her knowledge, Chris had no idea of what was going on between them, and she wanted to keep it that way.  
  
"I think I should move out," she said to Hunter as he held Tristan.  
  
"Really, why?"  
  
"Because there's just so much going on. He barely says three words to me anymore," she said, her voice wavering, "He's always talking to Victoria, or asking her to stay the weekend and it's just...it's awkward you know. Here he is, with his girlfriend, who he's serious about, and then there's me there and it's just uncomfortable, the entire thing."  
  
"But I don't think he'd like to be away from Tristan."  
  
"I know, that's the part that I'm sure he'd be against. But I don't know...I guess we could come up with some sort of...arrangement or something," she said, her voice trailing off.  
  
"And how would you feel if you had to spend days without your daughter?"  
  
"Horrible," she admitted, dropping her head down, "And he'd feel horrible too, having to be away from her. But what else can I do!"  
  
"I still think that you should just talk to him," Hunter told her, "Stephanie, what you have to say isn't something little, it's not something that can just go away, you need to tell him what you're feeling."  
  
"But he's with Victoria. He'd never want me...I don't blame him. I've done nothing but break his heart."  
  
Hunter put his hand on Stephanie's wrist, "You didn't do anything wrong, you tried to do your best to make sure people didn't get hurt. In the end, I think I'm the only one who didn't get what they wanted, but I'm fine now, so no repercussions whatsoever."  
  
"Yeah, that's what you think," she scoffed, "I mean, really, is there anything right now that I can consider to be normal. Maybe Tristan, but that's about it."  
  
"Talk to him," Hunter urged.  
  
"He loves Victoria, I've heard him tell her. She says it back. When I told him I loved him...he didn't say it back. He didn't say it back," she shrugged helplessly, "I could've sworn you know, I thought...well, it doesn't matter what I thought, I was wrong."  
  
"Or maybe he didn't know what he wanted at the time. Maybe you took him by surprise and you didn't give him the chance to say anything, and now you can remind him."  
  
"And try to steal him away from his girlfriend, wow, that makes me sound so great," she answered sarcastically, "Not only would I be divorced, and a slutty un-wed mother, but I can also be a back-stabbing boyfriend stealer."  
  
"Well, you might as well complete the trifecta," Hunter said with a laugh.  
  
"I'm glad my life gives you a good chuckle," she said, then looked at the clock, "I better get back to Chris's dressing room before his match, he likes to say goodbye to Tristan before he goes. Says it gives him good luck."  
  
"Well, she does seem very lucky," Hunter said as he handed Tristan to her, "Bye Tristan."  
  
"Bye Uncle Hunter," Stephanie said, waving Tristan's hand for her.  
  
"Bye you two."  
  
Stephanie walked down the hallway, hoping that she didn't run into Victoria. Ever since she and Chris had this weird "no talking" thing going on, talking to Victoria, seeing her gush about Chris, it made things unbearable for Stephanie. She hated even talking to the other woman in Chris's life. Or maybe she herself was the other woman. Who knew anymore?  
  
Luckily for her, she didn't run into anyone on her way back to Chris's locker room. She walked inside and put Tristan in her playpen with some of her toys. Tristan could sit up now and play with her toys so that gave Stephanie and Chris a lot more freedom to do other things while Tristan was occupied. Stephanie started picking up Chris's clothes, which he had let fall while changing into his ring attire. She stared at his shirt for a moment, she could smell his cologne wafting up from it, and she brought it to her nose.  
  
Chris walked in and she quickly went to folding his clothes, carefully setting them onto the couch, "You didn't have to do that Stephanie."  
  
"It's fine," she said, then started to busy herself with something else. Here came the awkward moments, and she just wished they would be over soon so she could breathe again. She always felt like she couldn't breathe around Chris lest she say something she'd regret.  
  
"Where's my little girl?" Chris went over to the playpen and Tristan's face lit up as she saw her daddy hovering over her. She tried to hand him her rattle and he took it from her, "Thank you so much, but I wanna hold you, not your rattle."  
  
He picked her up and held her over his head as she giggled and tried to reach out to him. Stephanie watched happily, if she couldn't have Chris, Tristan having Chris was the next best thing. At least this way she'd always be in his life...and he'd always be in hers. She thought about what Hunter said earlier, and how he had told her to bring it up with Chris. Maybe now was her chance.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"What?" he said, bringing Tristan down so that she was leaning on his shoulder.  
  
"What would you think if...I...and Tristan, um, moved out of your place?"  
  
Chris's head shook slightly in confusion, "Why would you want to move out? Are you trying to take Tristan from me?"  
  
His mind wandered to seeing her with Hunter months ago. Maybe they had been sneaking around seeing each other. He had seen Hunter with Stacy around, but maybe that was just a cover-up and he and Stephanie were really the ones together. Maybe she was taking Tristan back to Connecticut, maybe Hunter was going to be the one raising his daughter after all!  
  
"No! I mean, we'd still live in Tampa...just somewhere else."  
  
"So you don't like living with me?" The last couple of months had been awkward, sure, but to leave?  
  
"It's not either," she said, "It's just that...you're with Victoria now, and I know that you want your privacy, and you can't have that with me there, and I just...I want you to be happy and comfortable with Victoria, and I just get in the way."  
  
"Oh," was the only thing he could think of to say, other words not being able to be formed by his lips, and even if his lips could form them, his vocal chords seemed to be on vacation.  
  
"We'd have joint custody of Tristan...and it'd be fine, we'd still see you everyday, and you'd see Tristan, and we wouldn't move far, the same complex or something, same area, so we could walk to your house or something," she rambled, "I just, I don't want to feel like I'm intruding on you or your relationships anymore."  
  
"Stephanie, I don't know what to think about this right now."  
  
"Then think about it, you have time, just think."  
  
Chris was going to answer, he really was, but he was rudely interrupted by Victoria coming in. Stephanie quickly went to take Tristan from Chris, and Victoria looked grateful as she went up to Chris and gave him a deep kiss. Stephanie turned away and pretended that she needed to get something out of Tristan's bag.  
  
"I missed you this morning," Victoria said.  
  
"Aww, you just wanted someone to keep you warm."  
  
"Of course, that's why I missed you," she said sweetly.  
  
Stephanie couldn't take any more of this and quietly snuck out of the room. She would rather shove pencils into her eyes than listen to Chris and Victoria be cute around each other like that. Her heart had been through the ringer enough for seven hundred lifetimes, and she just needed a break from all of it. Maybe that was the driving force behind her wanting to move out.  
  
Chris kissed Victoria again, but his mind was on Stephanie. The past couple of months she had been distant and had barely spoken to him. So this moving out thing was probably a long time in the making. He had screwed up with her, big time, and now came the time to pay the price. He didn't know if he wanted to live without her, or if he COULD live without her. Of course, it wasn't like she was going to be completely out of his life, she never would be.  
  
"So how's Stephanie, she still kind of giving you the cold shoulder?" Victoria asked as she wrapped her arms around Chris's neck.  
  
"Yeah, but actually, today she suggested something, and I'm not sure what to think about it," he responded.  
  
"What'd she say?"  
  
"She said that maybe she should move out of the house."  
  
"Wow...really? Why?"  
  
"To give us space, because she thinks that she's being a third wheel," he explained.  
  
"I didn't mean to give her that impression," Victoria said, "I hope she didn't think that I was being rude or anything. I was being rude to her wasn't I? Inconsiderate even."  
  
"No, she didn't say anything about not liking you, she just thought that it would be better if she moved out, not far, but moved out," he said, still bewildered by the earlier conversation.  
  
"Well, what did you say?"  
  
"I don't know what to say, I haven't told her."  
  
"Oh Chris," she said, kissing his cheek, "Do what you feel is right ok? I think you have a match in a few minutes."  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
"We'll talk after your match, ok?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
"I love you," she said with a kiss.  
  
"Love you too."  
  
Victoria left, making a right as she exited. Chris left a moment after that, turning left to go to the gorilla. His mind was not on his match against Christian right now, but about the fact that Stephanie wanted to move out. It was so out of the blue of her to just say it like she was discussing something mundane.  
  
"Hey, are you ready for our match?" Christian asked as he walked up to Chris, "Get ready to be pulverized."  
  
Chris had never been friends with Christian, but they had been working together a lot lately and he didn't find him so odious, and he provided a fresh perspective on things, "I'm not ready for the match, but I'll win anyways."  
  
"What's on your mind? Women troubles?"  
  
"You can say that," Chris said, "You can say it about a hundred times."  
  
"So its bad, about Victoria, or Stephanie."  
  
"I don't know if I should be discussing it with you," Chris said, "I mean, we're not close or anything, you don't want to hear my problems."  
  
"Who better than someone not emotionally involved in the whole thing," Christian said, "I mean, yeah, I'm Steph's friend, but other than that, totally not involved. Which you and Victoria are by the way, that serious?"  
  
Stephanie walked to the gorilla and saw Chris and Christian talking to each other. She didn't want to barge in on their talk, but wanted to know what they were saying. She had given Tristan to her mother so she could be completely silent. She pressed herself against the wall to listen.  
  
"Yeah, you could say that," Chris said, "We've been seeing each other for just about six months."  
  
"Have you thought about tying the knot?"  
  
Stephanie was crushed when she heard Chris's response, "Yeah, once or twice."  
  
Not wanting to hear anymore, and tears suddenly blurring her vision, Stephanie ran from the scene, not even caring that her heels were making a loud clicking noise that Chris was sure to have heard. She raced into Chris's locker room and sat on the couch crying. She had truly lost Chris now. He wanted Victoria, she had her proof now, he wanted to marry her. Once again, she was getting dumped.  
  
"That's cool, I just don't think I can picture you getting married."  
  
"Yeah, but I don't think it's going to last with Vic."  
  
"Really?" Christian asked curious to know why Chris thought that.  
  
"I'm in love with the mother of my child," Chris shrugged, "How do you feel about that Mr. Impartial Jury?"  
  
"Not surprised, especially since she loves you back," Christian said.  
  
"What are you talking about? You're whacked out," Chris told him, "Stephanie doesn't even like me right now, there's NO chance that she would love me."  
  
"Chris...have you ever stared into her eyes?"  
  
Chris furrowed his brow, "Of course I've looked her in the eyes, I look her in the eyes everyday."  
  
"No, not just look, I mean, have you really looked her in the eye, seriously, tried to see what was there?"  
  
"Why would I do that?"  
  
"I think if you do that, I think if you remember a time when you actually stared her in the eyes, I think you'll see what everyone else sees as clear as day. Don't be blind Chris, just look into her eyes."  
  
Chris was distracted the whole match, which gave Christian the easy win. He deserved it though, Christian had probably done that on purpose so that he could lock Chris into the Unprettier and win the match, but it had set the wheels turning in Chris's head faster than he could comprehend the information. He didn't exactly know why Christian was making him open his eyes, but maybe it was the fact he wasn't a good friend, that he didn't know the entire history behind him and Stephanie, and yet...he could see the love there. If there was love at all.  
  
"So I got you thinking?" Christian said as he walked backstage to find Chris leaning against the wall, deep in thought.  
  
"I can't believe I didn't see it," Chris said, "I've looked into her eyes a thousand times, just because I thought they were the most beautiful eyes I'd ever stared into. They're so cloudy one moment, and then so bright the next. She loves me Christian, she actually loves me."  
  
"We all know," he said, "ALL of us...except maybe Victoria, but other than that...we all know."  
  
"How come I didn't see it?"  
  
"Maybe because you were looking at her through a different perspective. Maybe because you were looking at her as the woman that you couldn't get...instead of the woman that you already had."  
  
"I guess, I can't believe I didn't see it, I'm an idiot."  
  
"You might want to tell Victoria about this though, I don't think she'd take too kindly to just see you blurting it out that you love Stephanie and vice versa."  
  
"You're right," Chris said, "But I have to look in Stephanie's eyes first, I need to make sure."  
  
"Go ahead, don't say we all didn't say 'I told you so' cause we did."  
  
Chris raced away from Christian, not believing how long it had taken him to realize. Maybe that night, that night when he thought she was drunk, maybe that night was real. He had wanted to kiss her all those times, but he never thought that maybe she wanted to kiss him back. He threw the door open to his dressing room, thinking that's where she had to be and there she was, sitting on the couch, trying to compose herself.  
  
"Chris, did you win?"  
  
"No, but I have a feeling that I'm going to get something better than a win," he said, kneeling in front of her.  
  
"Did you think about what I said?"  
  
"I don't want you to move out," he told her, "I want you to stay."  
  
"Oh, ok," she said, not having the power to force the subject.  
  
Chris just kneeled there, staring into her eyes. They were red right now, like she had been crying and he didn't blame her, he had probably caused those tears. How many tears had he caused her over the past few months, with Victoria, with rejecting her, with everything? He didn't want to make her cry, he didn't want to be the one to do that to her, but even with her red-rimmed eyes, the blue shone through like a lighthouse within a dark, black night. He looked into those eyes, and he finally saw, he finally could tell what was hidden there, what had been hidden there the entire time. Her eyes said everything.  
  
She loved him. 


	48. Chapter 48

There are few moments in life where you're ever sure of everything that's going on around you. A moment where you know that you are right where you are supposed to be and that everything is going to be just fine. You can call it a revelation, an epiphany, or simply a moment of clarity, but the fact remains that everything, truth especially, is just so perfectly clear. Like when the heavens open up and the rain falls, Chris's mind had just opened up.  
  
"Chris, what are you doing?" Stephanie asked as she stared at him, staring back at her. She swallowed hard when he didn't say anything, "Chris?"  
  
"I'm sorry," Chris said, shaking his head, trying not to let a smile creep up into his lips.  
  
"So Christian won?"  
  
"Yeah," Chris answered, "But it's not important."  
  
"Oh, then...ok, I guess."  
  
"I have to go see Victoria," Chris blurted out, realizing that he had to go make things right before he could tell Stephanie what he was feeling.  
  
Stephanie looked down, trying not to let him see the hurt in her eyes. When she closed them, she could picture Chris and Victoria getting married in some beautiful ceremony, where they'd be so happy and everything. Then she'd be in the back, watching, her heart breaking as she thought back to how stupid she had been. If only she had told him sooner how she was feeling...but it was too late now.  
  
"Well, maybe Tristan and I will go back to the hotel then. You can stay with Victoria tonight if you want, I can handle Tristan. If you want that is?"  
  
"You just stay right here alright, we'll go back to the hotel together," he said patting her knee before he stood up.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive," he said, "I have a feeling tonight...well, I'm gonna go see Vic, and you can go get Trist and we'll leave immediately after ok?"  
  
She nodded, "If you want."  
  
"Great."  
  
Chris bounded out of the room, a silly, dopey grin on his face. Stephanie loved him, he was walking on air right now. He didn't have a care in the world, because the woman he loved, well she loved him back. He reached Victoria's door and suddenly he felt bad that he was going to potentially break her heart. He had told her numerous times that there was nothing going on with him and Stephanie, but that hadn't been the truth...not really. He just hoped that Victoria took it well. He knocked on the door, his stomach filled with nerves.  
  
"Chris! I'm sorry you lost," Victoria said, hugging him as he was pulled into the room, "Anything I can do to make you feel better?"  
  
"No, I think I'm good, actually, Christian is really good at psyching out his opponent before a match," Chris chuckled, "He got me there."  
  
She laughed, "Well, as long as you're not crushed by it. So we on for dinner tonight?"  
  
"Actually," Chris started, pursing his lips, "Vic, we need to talk."  
  
"Uh oh," she said, "That can never be good. Any conversation that starts out 'we need to talk' never ends well."  
  
"I'm afraid its not going to end well here either," he said, "There's things I need to tell you that I've never told you. Things that pretty much only Matt and Jeff know."  
  
"Ok," she said, "What is it?"  
  
"Stephanie had walked in on her husband and Stacy together, which led to us making Tristan. I found out about Tristan when Stephanie was about three months pregnant, but she asked me to keep it a secret. Only she and I knew at this point. I found out that she had no intention of telling Hunter that the baby wasn't his."  
  
"She did what?" Victoria said aghast, she couldn't believe Stephanie, the woman she had become friends with, could do such a thing.  
  
"It wasn't her fault, she was scared and with her past with Hunter, she made a mistake. I told her I loved her too," he said, laughing bitterly, "And she rejected me. So I stayed out of her life and she stayed out of mine, pretty much. She had Tristan, and she asked me to sign away my parental rights, which I did."  
  
Victoria looked at him incredulously, "I can't believe this."  
  
"She told the truth because of me, because she wanted to help me. And so she came to live with me and that's where we are now. Except for one thing..."  
  
"You still love Stephanie huh?" Victoria said, the tears already coming.  
  
"I'm sorry Vic."  
  
"Everyone knew," she told him, "Everyone whispered, there's a pool going on to see when you two would finally get together. I tried to ignore it because...I love you, and I wanted to be with you. But how can I compete with the mother of your child?"  
  
"It's not a competition Vic. I really liked you too, I could even go so far as to say I did love you, but Stephanie...she's Stephanie, and I don't know how to explain it. Yes, she's Tristan's mother, but, it goes deeper than that," he said, "I'm so sorry about this. I didn't want to hurt you."  
  
"No, you didn't," Victoria said, "You really didn't, because you at least told me. I'm really not surprised. I guess I was just trying to make the most of our time together before you did figure out Stephanie was the one."  
  
"You're beautiful, you know that, and you are going to find someone. You wouldn't have wanted me anyways. I'm very difficult to live with," he joked.  
  
She laughed through her tears, "Does Stephanie know you love her?"  
  
"No, but she will," he said, "I've kept it from her too long as it is."  
  
"She does deserve to know. And I know that she won't take you for granted. I'm glad you told me your history with her."  
  
"I didn't want you to think that I fell in love with her while I was with you. It was a pre-existing condition and you had nothing to do with it. It wasn't because you were bad or something, you are perfect."  
  
"Chris, go to her now," Victoria said, "Let me cry and wallow in peace."  
  
"Ok, but be sure that you have lots of marshmallow fluff, that stuff is pretty damn good," he said, kissing her forehead.  
  
"Tell her she's a lucky girl."  
  
"She'll know," he winked at her before leaving.  
  
That had been easier than he thought. He knew that Victoria was a lot more hurt than he let on, but she would get over it. They just weren't right for each other. They never would be as long as Stephanie was with him. He thought about telling her...then thought how bad it would be to just tell her in their hotel room. He wanted it to be a little more memorable than that. Maybe they could take the red-eye home and then he could tell her. He smiled at that idea, it seemed far better than telling her in their hotel room, just a room with a number on the door that they were forced to stay in because that's the key they had been given.  
  
He walked back into his locker room and saw Stephanie with all the bags already packed, even his. She took such good care of him, he thought, he wanted to take care of her now. Tristan was asleep in her carrier, a blanket tucked over her and her little cap snuggled on her head. He looked at her for a moment, she was his and Stephanie's, it left him filled with a feeling of wonder for a moment. He had never really, truly thought about it, but Tristan was part of him and Stephanie. It made him love Stephanie even more than he already did.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" Stephanie asked as she came to stand next to Chris.  
  
"Yeah," he said, "But instead of going and staying at the hotel tonight, how about we hop a plane back home? It would only be about an hour flight."  
  
"Really? You want to go home?"  
  
"Yeah, nothing like sleeping in your own bed right?" Or sleeping in each other's bed he thought lasciviously to himself.  
  
"If you want," she said, "I have no problem with that. Tristan would appreciate being in her room I'm sure."  
  
"Great," he said, picking up the bags, "I have a good feeling about this trip."  
  
"Why?" she asked as she picked up Tristan's diaper bag and then Tristan's carrier.  
  
"Ever just have a good feeling?"  
  
"Yeah...I guess I have," she said, "With having Trist and stuff."  
  
"Me too."  
  
Stephanie was a little perplexed by Chris's odd behavior. Maybe something good had happened with Victoria and now he was floating on cloud nine. She snorted to herself, the pushing out phase had already begun. She knew it had to come sooner or later, she was just opting for much, much later. But instead of throwing a hissy fit, she simply followed Chris out of the door and to their car.  
  
She didn't speak much during the ride to the hotel to get their things, but she did look at Chris often enough to figure something was up with him. Every time she looked over at him, he'd have this grin on his face. She wondered just what he was grinning about, but was too afraid to ask. Or too afraid to hear the answer.  
  
He made them wait in the car while he checked out and grabbed their suitcases. He said it would be faster that way. She guessed they were in such a hurry because he wanted to go home, and didn't want to miss a flight home. She had no idea that he had something big on his mind. He hopped back in the car, stupid grin STILL on his face and they headed for the airport.  
  
"Any reason you're smiling?" Stephanie finally asked as they sat down to wait for their flight.  
  
"Yup."  
  
That was it, that was all he said, Stephanie prodded further, "What reason?"  
  
"Can't tell you."  
  
"Oh, why not?"  
  
"Cause you'll find out eventually," he said, turning to look at her and winking playfully, "Trist is up."  
  
Stephanie looked over at Tristan and saw that she had her eyes open and she was yawning. She was probably thirsty and Stephanie pulled a bottle out of her bag and handed it to Tristan. She was able to hold it with Stephanie's assistance and Chris watched them happily. They were his family. They were the only family he wanted in this world.  
  
"So you're not going to tell me at all what has you so happy?"  
  
"I will...later."  
  
"Later as in 'when the time is right' or later as in 'later tonight' kind of later?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
"You're not helping me out here."  
  
"I know," he said smugly.  
  
She was about to come up with a crass remark when Tristan finished up her bottle. Thankful for the interruption, Stephanie tended to her daughter and tried not to worry about whatever Chris had going on right now. Whatever it was, it probably didn't concern her at all. Oh God, what if he had already proposed to Victoria, what if that was why he was grinning like an idiot? Maybe he was taking her home so that he could break the news and she wouldn't go running to someone else and crying? No, that couldn't be it, if he had proposed to Victoria, wouldn't he be with Victoria? She was under the impression that when someone proposed all they wanted to do was spend that evening with each other.  
  
Not that she knew what that was like. She hadn't loved Test enough to want to spend time with him. Hunter, he had never proposed at all. So what would she know about proposals when the only one she had gotten was in front of millions of people, prompting her to say yes out of sheer embarrassment of being asked in front of millions of people? She really needed to stop thinking about this.  
  
"Hey Steph, plane's boarding."  
  
They got on the plane and Stephanie managed to fall asleep during the trip, though her mind was still going in overdrive thinking about Chris and Victoria, and how she fit into everything. She had a feeling that she didn't fit into everything. If she had been awake, or at least aware, she would've seen that Chris was looking at her the entire flight, watching her sleep with an even dopier grin on his face.  
  
Chris twisted a strand of her hair around his finger and then tucked it behind her ear. Her head was falling down onto his shoulder slowly and he wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer after pushing the little armrest up so that there was no barrier between them. He rubbed her side gently, thinking about things to come, with Stephanie, with Tristan, with his girls. He had no thoughts as to what he would do if Stephanie rejected him. It just wasn't possible.  
  
Stephanie woke up as she heard the captain saying they were landing in a few minutes. She tried to move, but found that she was kind of stuck. Something...or someone rather was laying on her. She felt Chris's head resting on her own and his arm was around her and resting against her hip. She pulled away slowly to see that he was asleep. She must've fallen asleep on him first. How embarrassing, she thought to herself.  
  
"Mmm, Steph," Chris mumbled, his eyes still closed. He had lost the warmth that she provided him and wondered where she had gone.  
  
"Plane's landing soon, you might want to wake up."  
  
He opened his eyes to Stephanie, and it gave him a chill of excitement, waking up to Stephanie and all that, "Thanks for waking me up."  
  
"Well of course I was thinking about just letting you sleep and then you would probably stay on the plane and end up in New Jersey or something, so yeah, waking you up seemed to be the best option available."  
  
He smiled at her strangely in Stephanie's eyes and she looked away under his scrutiny. The plane landed and they were in their car in no time. Stephanie checked on Tristan, seeing that she was still asleep. She had slept the entire flight, which probably meant that she would wake up when they were trying to transport her. Luckily she slept through the night so after the minor wake-up, she'd be out for the rest of the night.  
  
When they got home, Stephanie took Tristan into her bedroom, where Tristan woke up, just like planned. Stephanie rocked her back and forth, but apparently Tristan was sick of sleeping and decided that staying up and laughing at her mother was a lot more fun. Stephanie sat her on the bed as she went to go put clothes away in their drawers. Tristan played with the sheets as she watched her mommy go about putting things away.  
  
"She still up?" Chris asked as he leaned in the doorway.  
  
"She slept a lot today, I'm not surprised," Stephanie said, "She took two naps."  
  
"Trist, go to bed," Chris said. Tristan lay down and pulled the covers over her, which caused Stephanie and Chris to laugh. Stephanie went over to the bed and pulled the covers off of Tristan and kissed her nose. "Stephanie, actually, it's kind of good that she's awake, um, can we talk?"  
  
Stephanie turned to Chris," It's almost two in the morning, can't this wait until the sun is up?"  
  
Part of her said that because it was true, it was late and she was tired, and another part said that because she was afraid of what he was going to say. In a few words, her world could come crashing down. If he said something about him and Victoria and marriage or engagement, or something along those lines, she might have to run away. Just put on her tennis shoes and run away, far away, so far away that she wouldn't even be a blip on his radar.  
  
"It can," he said, kneeling in front of her, just like he had done earlier, "But I don't want it to wait. I think that it needs to be said now. I think that this is a thing that's a long, LONG time coming and it needs to be said."  
  
"It must be serious," she said, eyeing him and trying to gauge his reaction so she could temper her own reaction based off of his.  
  
"It is serious," he said, his tone sobering up, "It's very serious, but I think it's a good kind of serious."  
  
"Oh, but it is serious?"  
  
"It is."  
  
"Fine then, if you must, then you must right," she said.  
  
"Stephanie, I must."  
  
She steeled herself for his next words.  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"I love Tristan."  
  
"That's what you wanted to say?"  
  
"I just want you to know how much I love her and adore her and how's she's one of the best things to ever come into my life. I never thought I could love a person as much as I love her, but I do. Which leads me to my next point, probably the more important point."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"Well, it's this..." 


	49. Chapter 49

"You love me."  
  
Stephanie looked at him strangely, his words shocking her into confusion. No, not confusion, they pretty much shot her into the past because they were so out there that the blast of them had pushed her into the past. But then she thought, how could he possibly know? She had kept it so hidden, not wanting to make a fool of herself. Chris loved Victoria, and she wanted him to be happy. Victoria made him happy, but she couldn't help but fall for him, but she couldn't let him know.  
  
Or maybe he DID know, and he was going to let her down gently. Maybe he had remembered that night when she was drunk and had told him, and now he was suddenly going to come out and say that he really, REALLY never wanted to be with her. He was going to reject her for the fiftieth time. What was this man doing to her!  
  
But her first instinct was to lie. She still had that drunk excuse for the last time she had blurted out those three words. That was her excuse, if he didn't believe it, the alcohol on her breath sure did. Now he was just being ridiculous.  
  
"You're crazy," she said, shaking her head from side to side.  
  
"You love me," he repeated, letting a smirk come over his face.  
  
"Chris, think about what you're saying, I mean, that's the stupidest thing you've ever said."  
  
"Steph?"  
  
She looked down at Tristan, who had crawled over and who was now looking over at Chris, "What?"  
  
"You love me."  
  
"Chris, stop it, I do not love you!" she said angrily, tiring of this conversation and his repeating those three words incessantly. She couldn't take it. She was about to reveal everything, and she couldn't do that.  
  
"Yes, you do. You love me," he said, trying not to grin, but finding this very funny. He could hear the lies in her voice, the way it hitched at the end. And she couldn't look him in the eyes.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes, you love me."  
  
"Chris, stop it ok, I don't love you, it's preposterous. You must be crazy or something," she rambled, "You probably think I love you because you're Tristan's father, but I don't, you're just my friend, that's it."  
  
"You love me," he teased.  
  
"Chris," she whined, "Please stop embarrassing yourself, because that's what you're doing."  
  
"You are so in love with me," he told her. Tristan giggled as she looked at her parents, and Chris laughed with her.  
  
"Great, are you against me now too Trist?"  
  
"I think she knows the truth. That you love me."  
  
"Chris, I'm not in love with you."  
  
Chris knew this could go on for a few hours, and decided to end it here. He put his hand on her knee lightly and rubbed it gently. Stephanie looked down at him, and then at her knee. His touch was so light, she felt herself shuddering inwardly as his rubbing intensified.  
  
"Stephanie, tell me what you want to say. Tell me right now, because I can see it in your eyes that you need to say it."  
  
She looked down; this was the hard. Admitting your feelings was so trying, you opened your mouth and the words you wanted to say never came out. She now knew what Chris must have felt like when he revealed his feelings to her, on that day so long ago, when she had rejected him. She was now scared she would get rejected. Chris loved Victoria; he was thinking about marrying her. She would get cast aside. But at least her soul would be clear.  
  
"I love you," she told him softly.  
  
He smiled and he tried to look her in the eyes, "I love you too."  
  
Her head shot up and she looked into his sparkling blue eyes, "Are you joking with me?"  
  
"No."  
  
"But you're in love with Victoria! You're going to marry her!"  
  
"Whoa, where did you get that idea?" he asked.  
  
"I heard you talking to Christian," she admitted, "He asked if you were asking Victoria the big question, and you said you had thought about it."  
  
"Well, yeah, I had thought about it, because Vic made me happy, but I wasn't in love with her, at least not completely."  
  
"You weren't?"  
  
"No, I've been in love with you for God knows how long Stephanie."  
  
"But I rejected you, I told you I didn't love you."  
  
"Yeah, I realize that," he laughed, "Broke my heart you did. But you don't get over love in a minute. I haven't even gotten over you before. Vic made me happy, and I liked being with her, but my heart always lied with you."  
  
"You're serious?"  
  
"Stephanie, I have a baby with you, you live with me, there's not much more to do but officially say we're together," he smiled.  
  
"You love me," she said, not believing the words.  
  
"You love me," he said, letting that grin shine through.  
  
"You are serious right? I mean, it's two in the morning, this could be you sleepwalking or something, or I could be dreaming, I'm dreaming right. Great, the good dreams always suck because I'm going to wake up in two seconds anyways, and you'll be gone, and I'll be in my room, and then I'll have to go get Tristan."  
  
"You need to shut up," Chris said with a smile as he leaned up.  
  
Stephanie froze for a second, not believing that he was willingly going to kiss her, with no interference, with no consequences...bad ones anyways. Then he kissed her and she couldn't even describe how good it felt. The only thing in her mind was that it felt good. She knew what it was like to kiss Chris, she knew what it was like to sleep with Chris. But this was different. This was better than that, and she didn't think anything could top the night they made Tristan, but this was quickly shooting its way to the top of her list.  
  
It was sweet and nice and filled with something that had always been there and she had never seen before. She pressed her palm to his cheek and he leaned up more to make it easier to kiss her. She let the feeling of him kissing her roll through her body. He snaked his arm around her waist and let it rest on the space between her shirt and her pants. He would've kept kissing her, just to keep this feeling going if Tristan hadn't hit Chris's arm, causing him to slow down the kiss and open his eyes to stare into Stephanie's eyes deeply.  
  
"Still think it's a dream?" Chris murmured against her lips.  
  
"Yes, because nothing this good ever happens to me in real life," she whispered back.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well, there was this one time," she said as she pulled away, "That I had this one incredible night with this really hot guy, and I never thought I'd have a night like that again."  
  
"Well then," Chris said cockily, "I'm sure that he'd love to do that again."  
  
"Really, you know the number to my old college boyfriend?"  
  
He smirked, "I can find out."  
  
"Don't you dare," she said, leaning down to brush her lips against his, "I do love you."  
  
"I know that you do. I saw it in your eyes, I guess I was too stupid to see it before. I mean, I thought that you didn't because...well, you were drunk the last time."  
  
"I wasn't drunk," she said, "I just...I was a little bit drunk, but not enough to not know what I was doing. I just thought you didn't want me."  
  
"I love you so much," he told her, "I don't care what happened in the past, well, I do care about Tristan, seeing as how she's my daughter, but other than that, everything that happened, let's forget about it."  
  
"But Chris."  
  
"I don't want to remember the bad things, I don't want to remember how much I drank. I don't want to remember having to sign away my rights to her. I don't want to remember the hurt look on your face when I didn't kiss you at my parent's. I don't want to remember that."  
  
"But it's a part of our past."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm a fan of looking ahead," he said, rubbing her cheek.  
  
Tristan laid her head down on Stephanie's lap, and they both looked down at their little girl. Chris smiled and looked up at Stephanie. She rubbed Tristan's back a little as she fell asleep. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had wished....a thousand, a million times for this to happen and now it was and it was so much better than she thought it would be. Funny how life worked out that way.  
  
"I should put her to bed," he said as he saw Tristan asleep, "Then maybe we can talk or something."  
  
"Ok," she said softly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping baby.  
  
Chris picked up Tristan slowly from Stephanie's lap. The little girl whimpered a little in her sleep as she cuddled sleepily into Chris's embrace. He took her out of the room and into her nursery. He set her down in her crib and watched her sleep for a second. He chuckled silently as he looked around. He took in the pastel green of her walls and the various paintings of nursery rhyme characters hanging on the walls. The frilly white curtains with angels printed on them on the large picture window on one side of the room. The toys littering the ground and the rocking chair piled high with stuffed animals. How much had this little girl changed his life?  
  
He walked over to the wall next to the door. The hallway light was on and shone through onto the glass of the picture frames, creating a slight glare from them. He stood in front of the wall and his eyes darted from picture to picture. The first one was of Tristan as a newborn, only five minutes old apparently. He hadn't been there, but it was nice to see the picture.  
  
His eyes fell to the last few pictures, the most recent ones. There was one of Stephanie holding Tristan, their cheeks pressed together as they stared at the camera with big smiles on their faces, their blue eyes shining from the camera flash. His girls, he thought with a smile. The next picture was of him and Tristan. They were sitting in the backyard and he was making a funny face at her as she giggled. Stephanie had taken it while he wasn't looking and told him later that it was the best picture he had ever taken.  
  
The last picture was of all of them. He smiled the most at this one. They were standing in front of the wrestling ring. Tristan was standing up holding onto the bottom ring rope, Stephanie's hand securing her in her standing position. They were all looking at the camera, but they were in various stages of laughter, their eyes shining. A real family shot, it was nice.  
  
"Now see, when you say you're just going to go put the baby down, a girl tends to believe that, and when the guy doesn't show, she starts to think that he climbed out of the window, shimmied down the drain pipe and ran away."  
  
"I live here, why would I run away?" he asked her as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side.  
  
"Because you realized that you told the woman who made your life miserable that you loved her and you figured out that she is totally undeserving of you and that you should really be with someone better."  
  
"Even then, I'd at least wait until morning when I had a fresh head and a nice cup of coffee," he told her, kissing her head.  
  
"Why are you looking at the pictures?"  
  
"Because they're hanging there and I thought, well, pictures, eyes, and then I made the connection between the two. Steph, can I ask you a question about Tristan?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Um, did you ever...think about not...keeping her," he said tentatively, "I mean, since you knew she was mine and everything, and you..."  
  
She put a finger to his lips, "Don't even finish that thought or sentence or anything. There was never a moment, not one, single, solitary moment that I ever, EVER thought about not having her. I fell in love with her the moment I found out about her and that love has only gotten stronger."  
  
"Good," he said, kissing her, "I was just worried that you had thought about it."  
  
"Not for a second. We should let Trist sleep," Stephanie said, "Maybe we should go to sleep too, that way tomorrow, we can have a clear head when we discuss things."  
  
"Things like?"  
  
"Like where do we go from here?"  
  
"I'm thinking we go to bed," he said, leaning in close to her, "My bed or yours?"  
  
She blushed, "Chris, we really have to talk about what happened here tonight."  
  
"I know, but come on, we can wait until the morning to talk, so my bed or yours?"  
  
"So you just want me in bed huh?"  
  
"I'll have you know that I already know what you're like in bed, so it's not like it's an aspiration I'm having to bed you. I've done that before."  
  
"So what is the appeal of me? You've already slept with me, had a child with me...what more of me could you possibly want?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, everything," he said to her, "I want everything with you. Do you know how long I've waited to love you, to take care of you, and protect you and not have to hide it under the pretense that I was only doing it because of Trist?"  
  
"When did you break up with Victoria?" Stephanie asked as they walked to her bedroom. She walked inside as he stood in the doorway. She grabbed a nightgown and turned off the light as she walked back over to Chris.  
  
"Tonight," he answered as he grabbed her hand again, not ever wanting to stop touching her, "I knew I couldn't string her along anymore."  
  
"Oh," she answered as they walked into Chris's bedroom. She sat on the bed, "And when did you find out I loved you? Or how did you know?"  
  
Chris grabbed his own pajamas and went into the bathroom as Stephanie changed in the bedroom. He walked back out in his pajama pants and no shirt as Stephanie had slipped on her tank top and pajama pants. She climbed in bed as he did the same. She was hesitant at first, but Chris sidled up next to her and took her in his arms.  
  
"Christian told me to look in your eyes and it dawned on me. I should've seen it, but Christian said something that was completely true as to why I didn't see it."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"He said I was looking at you as the woman that I couldn't have instead of the woman that I already had."  
  
"You did have me...you DO have me."  
  
"I know," he said, "So can I ask a question, or is it just 'ask me all the questions' night?"  
  
"Go ahead," she said.  
  
"When were you going to tell me about Hunter?"  
  
Stephanie looked down and then up at Chris, "How did you find out?"  
  
"Well, I had been eating breakfast with Victoria, and I came upstairs with Tristan only to find you coming out of a hotel room, hugging him, and then him kissing your cheek," he finished, sounding much more bitter than he had intended to.  
  
Stephanie rubbed his arm as she snuggled deeper into his embrace, "I needed someone to talk to. Everyone else is friends with you because you're just so damn popular. I couldn't take the chance that you'd find out that I was in love with you. I thought you didn't want me, and so...I needed to tell someone Chris, it was eating me up inside. I thought you had just rejected me that night because you didn't want me."  
  
"God, do you know how hard it was for me to not sleep with you that night," he said, "I really did, I almost did, but I didn't want to do that, to you, to Victoria, to Tristan. It would've been a mistake."  
  
"But this isn't a mistake right?"  
  
"This could never be a mistake."  
  
"Good," she yawned.  
  
"Why don't you try to get some sleep now?"  
  
"Ok," she mumbled as she rested her head against him.  
  
"Hey Steph?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You want to go on a date on Saturday?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
He smiled as he fell asleep. 


	50. Chapter 50

A/N: Yup, they're finally together, I was thinking if I didn't get them together soon you guys would come hunting for me with pitchforks and torches. It only took them 49 chapters to get where they are. Thanks for the reviews you guys, they really encourage me to write more of this story, which I have to say, is my absolute favorite one to write. :D

* * *

Stephanie stood in her bedroom, looking herself over in the mirror. She couldn't believe that she was actually going on a date with Chris tonight. It was kind of surreal when she thought about it. They had a daughter together, and they had been living together for months, but this was being considered their first date. She laughed to herself over it.  
  
"Hey Steph, you ready!" Chris yelled from downstairs.  
  
"Almost!"  
  
She looked at herself one more time. She thought she looked stunning tonight. She was wearing a red, strapless dress that hugged all the right places, with a sheer black shawl. Her hair was curled and pulled back with a couple of barrettes and she topped the outfit off with strappy, red heels. She was dressed to kill.  
  
Chris waited at the bottom of the stairs, holding the squirming Tristan in his arms. He knew that she wanted to crawl around and go play with the numerous toys scattered around the floor. He held her because he knew that Stephanie would want to say goodbye to her before they left for their date. He smiled as he thought of that word.  
  
It had been a few days since she had confessed her love for him, and he had reciprocated that love. They had been nervous around each other for the past few days, but it was a good kind of nervous. It gave him butterflies to think about the two of them and their future. THEIR future, it sounded so nice to his mind that had once been beleaguered with thoughts of living out his days alone. He mused to himself about how perfect this night would be. How this would be the start of something good.  
  
His thoughts were broken as the squirming baby tugged on his ponytail. He looked at her and kissed her forehead, "Don't pull Daddy's hair Trist."  
  
She giggled and pulled it again. He just smiled and gave her an Eskimo kiss, rubbing his nose against hers. She giggled even more and laid her head on his shoulder, sighing in content. He held her closer as Stephanie descended the stairs. He looked up and she really did take his breath away. She came down quickly and smiled as she saw father and daughter.  
  
"Looks like someone's attached to their Daddy," she cooed.  
  
Tristan hid her face in Chris's neck, "She's a Daddy's girl, just like her Mommy is."  
  
Stephanie mock pouted, "Is that any way to talk to the woman you love?"  
  
He grinned, "No, but it's the way I talk to my baby's mother."  
  
"Here, give her to me so I can say goodbye," she said as Chris handed the baby over.  
  
"You are going to be a good girl for Edge aren't you sweetie?" Stephanie said to Tristan, who just smiled in response.  
  
"Of course she is," Edge said, walking into the foyer with a bottled water, "We'll have tons of fun."  
  
"Thanks for taking care of her Edge," Stephanie told him, "I'll be sure that you are compensated."  
  
"It's not a problem Stephanie, we're friends, I didn't have anything to do tonight," he shrugged, "At least this way I can say I spent the night with a cute girl."  
  
"The cutest," Chris added.  
  
"Ok, well, here's the rundown," Stephanie started, going into serious mother mode, "She eats around 6:30, and she should be in bed by 7:30. She already had her bath today, so really, she'll probably just need a diaper change and a change into her pjs to get her ready for bed. She's got plenty of milk in the fridge, she usually takes a small bottle to bed with her, it helps her sleep. If she gets fussy, just lay her on her back and rub her tummy, that'll usually get her to calm down. Give her baby food for her dinner, and there's some in the pantry, just heat that up. Feel free to eat whatever you want, we don't care, and no drinking anything alcoholic."  
  
"Wow," Edge said, "That was pretty comprehensive."  
  
"Sorry, she's just my baby."  
  
"I get it, don't worry."  
  
"Oh," Stephanie said, remembering something, "She can crawl now, so you have to watch her every move, she keeps trying to go down the few stairs from the living room to the dining room, so you have to watch for that."  
  
"Got it, now you two kids go have fun," Edge said, coming over to take Tristan from Stephanie's arms. The infant gave Stephanie and Chris a pout, not wanting them to go, until she saw Edge's long hair and went in for a pull.  
  
"Oh, and she likes to pull on people's hair," Chris interjected, "See ya."  
  
He ushered Stephanie out of the house, but not before giving Tristan a wave goodbye. They breathed in the cool night air as they stepped onto the front step and Chris escorted Stephanie to his car. He opened the door for her, allowing her to get in. He got in himself and pulled away from the house, going to the swank restaurant that he had chosen.  
  
"You look beautiful tonight, by the way, I don't think I've gotten to tell you how spectacular you look. In fact, I think you look spectacular all the time."  
  
"Thanks," she said, "You look good too."  
  
"I still don't know why we left her with Edge," Chris commented.  
  
"He's my friend Chris," she told him, "I know that he and the Hardys had some differences, but so did we and we worked past them."  
  
He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, "Yeah, you're right."  
  
They drove the rest of the way to the restaurant and Chris pulled into the valet parking area. They got out of the vehicle and proceeded into the restaurant. Stephanie smiled giddily as she took in the posh surroundings. Chris sure knew how to pick a good place. They were taken to their table, and Stephanie sat down, still looking around as the waiter handed her, her menu.  
  
"This place is lovely Chris."  
  
"Only the best for you," he grinned.  
  
They perused their menus before ordering their dinners and then they were left to each other. Stephanie smiled across the table at Chris, who smiled back. They stared at each other a few moments in silence, neither one knowing where to start. Stephanie bit her lip and started laughing softly.  
  
"You'd think we'd have more to talk about," she laughed.  
  
"Yeah," he answered, "I mean, there are tons of things we can talk about."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Chris looked down for a moment, "I can't think of any."  
  
"Well, how about this? We pretend like we don't know each other and that this really is like a first date. Like you just asked me out because I gave you my phone number and we take it from there."  
  
"Sure, I guess," he said, "So Stephanie, where are you from?"  
  
"Connecticut," she answered, smiling, "Born and raised, and where are you from?"  
  
"Canada, Winnipeg."  
  
"Oh, I thought I detected a slight accent there," she smiled.  
  
"Yeah, it's not too noticeable since I've lived in the States for years and years now."  
  
"That's interesting," she said, "Is that because of your job?"  
  
"Yeah, we travel a lot in my profession."  
  
"Oh, yeah, so do I," she answered, "So what do you do?"  
  
"I'm a professional wrestler."  
  
"Oh, I'm a big fan," she mused as he laughed.  
  
"And you?"  
  
"Writer, scriptwriter to be exact."  
  
"Sounds like fun."  
  
"It can be. So do you have any children?"  
  
Chris nodded his head, "Yeah, I have an seven month old daughter."  
  
"Oh wow, so do I, what a coincidence."  
  
"Yeah, she's adorable."  
  
"Mine too," Stephanie said, "She's crawling."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They sat there, looking at each other. Well, this was a bust. They didn't have much to talk about when they were themselves and they didn't have much to talk about when they weren't themselves. Stephanie wondered why it was so awkward between them. They knew so much about each other; it shouldn't be like this.  
  
"So do you know who I'll be facing next Pay-Per-View?" Chris asked.  
  
"Yeah," she nodded, "My dad thought that a match between you Christian would be well received, so yeah, that's what you're doing."  
  
"Cool, that should be good."  
  
There was another awkward silence then. Stephanie grabbed some bread and buttered it idly as she looked around the restaurant. This was so incredibly awkward and not in a good way. She ate her bread silently as Chris kept taking sips of water. He put the glass down and looked over at her.  
  
"I'm going to go freshen up," she said before he could get a word in.  
  
"Ok," he said, "I'll...be here."  
  
"Great," she said, rushing off. She dashed into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. So far, this was the worst date she had ever been on in her entire life, and she had been on some bad dates. She picked up her cell phone from her purse and dialed her home number.  
  
"Y'ello?"  
  
"Edge, it's Steph."  
  
"Hey, how's it going?"  
  
"It's going...fine," she lied, "Chris and I just needed a night off I guess, you know, taking care of a little girl is hard work."  
  
"I've only been here for like an hour and a half and I can already tell," Edge chuckled.  
  
"Oh no, is she giving you trouble?" Stephanie said, part of her hoping that she was so that she could go home and forget about this horrible evening.  
  
"Nah, she's an angel, a messy angel, but an angel."  
  
"Oh, so you fed her, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, and she loves to throw that food around doesn't she?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm just glad to hear that everything is alright."  
  
"It is, I'm just about to put her down, so she'll be asleep when you come home."  
  
"Great, we'll see you then."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye..."  
  
She hung up the phone and checked her makeup again before taking a deep breath and leaving the bathroom. Maybe Chris had thought up a way to make this date less painful for the two of them. She didn't want to go back to the awkwardness because it just made her nervous and she didn't want to be nervous around Chris. That wasn't her style or his, or theirs. They knew each other, so well now, and it was stupid to think they had nothing to talk about.  
  
"Hey, took a while there," Chris said as she sat down.  
  
"I just wanted to call Edge and ask how Trist was."  
  
"Oh, she's ok I hope."  
  
"Perfect as always."  
  
"She is pretty perfect."  
  
Mercifully their food came just then and they concentrated on eating, with the occasional burst of conversation about how good their food was. Stephanie pushed her food around her plate, not really hungry now. She couldn't believe how badly this was going and she felt partially responsible.  
  
"Did you want dessert?" Chris asked as the waiter came to put their food in doggie bags.  
  
"No!" she said quickly and forcefully and Chris nodded in agreement, signaling for the check. The sooner this was over with the better. The only problem was that they lived together so this date would just carry over when they got home.  
  
And carry over it did as they drove home in silence. Stephanie stared out the window, avoiding any and all conversation with Chris. If she acted like he wasn't there, then she could pretend she didn't just go on the worst date of her entire life. They got home and she let herself out of the car, Chris following her to the door as they walked inside to find Edge.  
  
They paid Edge and then went into the kitchen silently. Chris sat on the counter, thinking as Stephanie went over to the other counter where there was a pound cake that Chris's mom had sent to them. She sliced off a large piece and grabbed a plate to put it on. She hadn't ordered dessert at the restaurant because she didn't want to prolong the pain and agony that had been their date. Once she got the plate and got settled she hopped up and sat on the counter next to Chris. She picked at the pound cake as Chris did the same.  
  
"Well that was quite possibly the worst date in the history of dates," Stephanie said softly.  
  
"You're telling me, I think that the horribleness of it was wafting all the way across the restaurant," he told her.  
  
"But why? I mean, we know each other, we live together, we've slept together, we have a daughter together, we work together, you'd think it would be an easy enough transition into dating," she said as she stuffed a piece of cake in to her mouth, "Why was that date so bad? I felt like I was in some sort of torture chamber."  
  
"Maybe that's the problem."  
  
She looked to him sadly. Was he going to say that they just weren't meant to be together? Maybe over the course of the evening he had fallen out of love with her or something when he realized that they couldn't do this whole dating thing. Maybe they never should've taken that next step, it had only ended badly and maybe that was a sign to say they should just stay friends.  
  
"Oh," she mumbled, "So you mean that we shouldn't have gone out on a date?"  
  
"That's exactly what I'm saying."  
  
"Well then, I guess that this foray into dating for us was a bad idea. I guess I can stay friends with you, it won't--"  
  
Chris's head swiveled to look at her, "What do you mean 'stay friends,' I don't want to go back to being friends."  
  
"But our date was terrible, we obviously have no chemistry and so we should just go back to being--"  
  
She was cut off as he leaned over to kiss her. Stephanie shifted herself so that she was facing him and managed to put down the plate of cake before lightly putting her hand on his chest. He rested his hand on her bare knee and rubbed it while they kissed. He pulled away slowly and a smile turned up on her lips and he smiled as he saw the look on her face.  
  
"You never let me finish talking, so why don't you let me explain?"  
  
"Go ahead," she said, her eyes still closed.  
  
"I think that because we know each other so well that it's kind of pointless for us to date, because we don't need to get to know each other. I mean, we don't need that getting to know you period, we just need to go on doing what we've been doing. I love you Stephanie, I want to be with you. Lord knows I've waited long enough to be with you. I'm not going to let one lousy date stop me from being with you."  
  
"I love you too," she whispered.  
  
"I know."  
  
"So where do we go from here?"  
  
"We just keep on doing what we're doing," he said, kissing her again, "Except with a lot more of those thrown in."  
  
"I think I can do that." 


	51. Chapter 51

"So nobody knows about us. Even Edge thought we were just going out to get a night off from Tristan."

"What's your point?" Chris asked.

"Do we have to necessarily tell people?"

"You want to keep us a secret? I've been pining for you for over a year and you want to keep us a secret!" Chris was starting to get angry with her. He had gone through so much for her, more than he ever should, and she wanted to keep them a secret! Well, he wasn't going to stand for it.

Stephanie got up from the blanket she had been sitting on with Tristan and she crawled over to where Chris was sitting on the couch. He looked down at his legs, as she kneeled in front of him, putting both her hand on his upper thighs. Chris refused to look at her, he didn't know if he could look at her at the moment, the hurt pounding in his chest.

"That's not what I meant," she said quietly.

"Then what did you mean?"

"I just don't want to have to have everyone coming up to us and asking us if it's true."

"So what do you want to do?" he snapped.

She rolled her eyes this time, "You're worse than Tristan sometimes. So you need to go take a nap?"

"Well I'm just not getting you here."

She leaned to him and kissed his chin and then leaned her cheek against his cheek as she sighed happily. "I was thinking that we could just go out to the ring and announce it or I could accompany you to your match."

He pulled away and smiled at her, "You want to be my valet?"

"I prefer the term 'girlfriend,' actually."

"But you want to come out with me?" 

"Yes, I do, if you want me to."

"Hell yeah I do!"

She laughed and looked over at Tristan, "Don't mind Daddy Trist, he's being silly."

Tristan looked over at her parents, and then looked back to her toys, uninterested in what they were doing, finding her toys much more interesting than the dating habits of her parents. She obviously didn't know any better, she was used to having them both around, and she didn't understand the concept of kissing and love so things were still normal for her, though they had changed drastically for her parents. Stephanie leaned her head against Chris's chest.

"People are going to say they told us so," she said to him.

"Yeah, I know, but I guess this time they were right. I'm not going to tell them that they were right, but the fact remains they were all very, very right."

"I should've figured it out when you told me the first time. I was so foolish, if I had just seen what was right in front of my eyes, I could've avoided all of this heartache...for the both of us."

"Maybe that wasn't the right time," Chris said to her, running his fingers through her hair, "Maybe we just weren't ready for each other then. We weren't mature enough, maybe Tristan is the x-factor here, she's what made us realize."

"I can't doubt that. I know if we hadn't had her, than I would probably still be with Hunter."

"Yeah, and I would be blissfully unaware of my feelings for you."

"It's better this way though right? I mean, you think it's better this way too?" she asked him. She looked up into his eyes and he looked down at her, wondering how he could've ever hid his feelings for this woman when they were so strong now.

"It's much better," he told her, "Considering that I was pretty much a drunk for a while there when I didn't have you, then yes, I'd say that this is much better."

"You weren't a drunk."

"I was a drunk, I drank so much, I'm surprised that I just didn't turn into a huge bottle of beer or something. I didn't know any other way to stop from hurting."

Stephanie turned away quickly and wiped at her eyes. She didn't like hearing about what she had done to Chris. She would never forget the night when she found him lying on the couch, not moving or anything. She had been so scared, so frightened and responsible. That was the turning point. She couldn't lie anymore after that, but she had seen what she had done to him, and it still sent chills through her body.

Chris saw Stephanie turn away and though she tried to hide it, he caught the beginning of a tear escaping her eye. She went back over to where Tristan was and sat there, staring at their daughter as she banged on a toy piano. Chris studied her for a second before getting off the couch and crawling over to her. He sat behind her and slightly to the right so that he could lean his head on her shoulder blade.

"Don't cry."

"I'm not," she said, but her voice told the real story.

"I don't even drink anymore...no room in the fridge with all of Tristan's bottles and baby food, and formula. Couldn't fit any beer in there if I tried," he said, trying to make her laugh. It didn't work, but Tristan for some reason started giggling and Chris looked over Stephanie's shoulder at her. "Why are you laughing Trist? You think it's funny that you completely run this household."

She just smiled and went back to her toys. Chris reached around in front of Stephanie and laced his fingers through hers, resting them both comfortably in her lap. Stephanie still made no motion to move or speak so he just sat there quietly, listening to the occasional babble from his daughter.

"It's not funny," she finally told him, "It's not funny that I drove you to drink, that I caused you so much pain."

"No, it's not, but things worked out."

"I don't like thinking about how I made you do all of that. You were hardly sober for months."

"True, but you know what, I'm not that guy anymore. I'm not unhappy, and I haven't been unhappy in a really, really long time. And that is also because of you."

"Only because I felt guilty and decided to tell the truth. What if I hadn't? Would you even be alive today?"

"Steph," he said, rubbing her hand, "Stop this. You're just going to worry yourself into a corner. That is in the past, and I love you and I have you now, and you are going to come out with me on Monday and you are going to tell the world that you are my girlfriend and then I will go out and win my match because I have you on my side. And whoever I face isn't going to have you, and then you'll cheat for me, possibly with a chair and then I'll kiss you and the crowd will gasp, or cheer, or both, and then I will take you backstage and we will have a little fun before we go get Tristan."

She smiled, "Where will Tristan be?"

"Probably with someone who loves her...so everyone on the roster. They'll just pass her around or something. But make sure she doesn't get near Big Show, she's terrified of him." He remembered back to when Big Show had tried to hold her and she screamed bloody murder at him.

"I like that idea, going out with you."

"I like it too. I like it a lot."

Next Monday, Stephanie pushed Tristan's stroller into the arena. Tristan kept trying to reach out and grab various things hanging around and she had to constantly tell her no, that she shouldn't be touching those things. Chris had stayed outside to sign some autographs for people. She would've stayed, but Tristan was getting cranky being around all those people that were screaming and yelling.

"Trist, you want to have lunch and then take a nap?" Stephanie asked as she maneuvered around the halls.

"Oh, look, it's my little baby!" Linda said happily as she walked towards them, "Hello Tristan, aren't you looking pretty today?"

Stephanie looked down at Tristan, who was wearing pink overalls with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath and hot pink little sneakers that Stephanie could not resist buying even after Chris had told her that they made his eyes hurt. Stephanie brushed some of Tristan's hair out of her face so she could see.

"Say hi to grandma Trist," Stephanie said. Tristan looked up at her grandmother and smiled at her. Linda went to pick her up and kissed her cheek.

"Where's Chris?"

"He's outside signing autographs, Trist wanted to come inside though, the crowds were a little daunting for her."

"Oh, poor baby, so I guess you won't be taking her out to the ring soon then," Linda said as Tristan played with her necklace.

"I don't think she'd really like that," Stephanie said, "Not to mention, Chris and I don't really want to exploit her and stuff."

"I understand, we didn't show you off until you were at least seven," Linda said with a laugh.

Chris jogged up to them, "I think my hand is about to fall off, I signed so many autographs that my eyes are swimming."

"Oh, you poor thing," Stephanie said as she gazed up at him. Linda saw the way they looked at each other and couldn't believe that they couldn't see the feelings between them. They were made for one another; she only hoped that they would figure it out before it was too late.

"Stephanie, can I take Tristan with me to go see your father, I'm sure he'd love to see her," Linda asked.

"Sure Mom, here's her bag if you need anything," Stephanie said, handing her mother the bag as Chris folded up her stroller.

"We'll see you later," Chris said as Linda walked away, "See, I told you someone that loved her would take her so we could have some fun."

"What kind of fun?" she asked as he turned to her. He simply grabbed her hand and they walked to his locker room. They went inside and closed the door, setting Tristan's stroller next to the door. When Chris had put it down he went to Stephanie and kissed her soundly.

"I have been wanting to do that since we arrived," he said breathlessly.

"I've been waiting for you to do that," she smiled, "But you should go meet with your opponent."

"How about I just stay here with you? I never get to be alone with you as long as Tristan is around, and I should be taking advantage of the fact that I have you all to myself for a little while."

"You live with me," she pointed out.

"So, still don't get to see you all the time," he told her, "I don't get to see you in the shower for instance."

"Jerk," she said, shoving him, "Go talk to your opponent."

"Which is?" 

"I don't know," she said, smiling, "But whoever it is, you'll beat them. I have to get ready for my promo."

"Oh yeah, you're going out there for the first time since the little announcement."

"Yeah, so I'll see you out there?"

"You'll see me out there," he said with a kiss.

The show was half an hour old when Stephanie grabbed the microphone, and she heard her music go off as she walked up the stairs to the ramp. She was greeted with a mixture of boos and cheers and she tried to remain positive. Not only would she be announcing her relationship with Chris, she was also officially announcing that Chris was Tristan's father, though people probably already knew, she hadn't officially said anything.

"I'm sure you all remember the last time that I was here," she said, glancing around, "But if you haven't, let me remind you. It was when I was pleading with my ex-husband to not bring my daughter out here. And I'm sure you all remember when I announced that Hunter wasn't my daughter's father."

The crowd broke out into "slut" chants and she had prepared herself for this so it came as little surprise.

"Well, it was true, Hunter wasn't Tristan's father, but I don't think you are justified in calling me a slut. When I had my relationship with Tristan's father, Hunter was having a subsequent relationship with Stacy," Stephanie explained, "And I told the truth because I had to, and so I'd like to introduce you to Tristan's--"

Chris's countdown hit and Stephanie looked confusedly to the ramp as Chris posed in his usual stance, microphone in hand. He turned around and looked at her as he paced the top of the ramp for a bit before walking down the ramp and climbing into the ring, walking around a bit before stopping in front of her.

"Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie. You come out here and waste everyone's time with talking about what happened," Chris said shaking his head as the fans cheered him wildly, "Everyone, do you want to hear Stephanie talk and talk?"

"NO!" the crowd yelled in unison, their voices raising up.

"Yes, I didn't think so, wouldn't you rather find out who the guy is that knocked up Stephanie, because I'm sure you all want to know right?" The crowd cheered at that. Seems that not that many already knew that he was the father.

"Chris, why don't you shut up and let me talk," Stephanie said into the microphone.

"Only if you tell the answer to the million dollar question...what guy is your baby's daddy Steph?"

"Don't you already know," she said with a smirk, "I mean, you are the one in the same right?"

Chris smiled as the crowd fell silent, "I'm surprised not too many of you knew this already. It's true, I had a baby with Stephanie."

The crowed murmured to life at this and he just took in their shock at his revelation. Stephanie grinned at Chris, who walked closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. The crowd got a little louder at that and Stephanie brought the microphone up to her lips.

"Yes, he's right, Chris Jericho is the father of my child...I know this may come as a surprise to you, but it really isn't, especially because I'm in love with Chris Jericho," Stephanie said, gazing up adoringly at him.

Now the crowd was silent again, shocked by the news. It was one thing to announce he was the father of her child, but they were together, and in love? It was almost too much for the poor fans to fathom and there was a hush over the crowd.

"So get used to seeing us together," Chris said, "Because you're going to be seeing us a lot more."

Chris took Stephanie in his arms and pulled her up against his body. Stephanie looked at him in surprise before his mouth descended to hers in a passionate kiss. They were oblivious to the cheers of the crowd and in their own world. Stephanie smiled against his lips.

"So what do you think is going on backstage?"

"I think some people are collecting their winnings."


	52. Chapter 52

Stephanie held Chris's hand tightly in hers as they walked up the ramp and into the backstage area. They knew that some people would probably be milling around, but what they found was more than they had ever expected. Almost every single wrestler was backstage, including her family and Chris and Stephanie looked at each other in confusion before everyone started clapping for them.  
  
Stephanie blushed furiously and ducked her head, hiding her face against Chris's shirt. Chris just laughed and looked at them like they were crazy. Someone yelled out that it was about time and Chris flipped them off before walking down into the mass of people who were still clapping. Then the "speech" chant started and Chris stood there.  
  
"You want me to make a speech?" he asked, looking at everyone like they were crazy, which they were indeed. But they had waited for this moment just as long as Stephanie and Chris had, watching this soap opera unfold before them.  
  
"Yeah, I think we deserve one," Matt said with a smirk.  
  
"Fine," Chris conceded, without giving up too much of a fight. "On behalf of Stephanie and I, we'd like to thank all of you for seeing what we couldn't see. But we also don't thank you for not giving us a swifter kick in the ass so we could find this out sooner. Now all of you can get off our backs, go collect your bets, and leave us alone."  
  
People started to walk away then, some of them coming up to the twosome and congratulating them. It was like they had gotten married or something and not just gotten together several days ago. Stephanie ventured to pull her face away from Chris and she smiled demurely at some of the people. She was a little embarrassed to have her private life out there for scrutiny, but she knew it was better to just come out and say it rather than tell people and let the word spread.  
  
"You ok?" Chris whispered to her. "Not too traumatizing for you or anything?"  
  
"A little traumatizing, but I should be used to it by now, shouldn't I?"  
  
"I think so. I guess that's what comes out of living in the public eye."  
  
"I'll get used to it," she told him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.  
  
"You guys!" Trish said, rushing over to them, "I'm so happy for you!"  
  
"Thanks Trish," Stephanie said, "We're happy for ourselves too."  
  
"You could've told us before hand," Jeff said as he wrapped his arm around Trish's neck and leaned his cheek against her hair. "I thought we were friends."  
  
"We are friends man, but some things you just have to leave a surprise," Chris said.  
  
"Well, I'm happy you two finally figured it out. Do you know how long this guy has been pining away for you Steph, it was getting to major levels of pathetic."  
  
"Shut up," Chris said, shoving him in the shoulder. "I was not pathetic."  
  
"Yes you were," Jeff countered, "Don't try to play it up like you weren't all in love with her."  
  
"I am in love with her," he responded, "Now, we're going to go get ready for my match in a little while, if you'll excuse us."  
  
"Pathetic!" Jeff shouted as the two of them walked away.  
  
"Stephanie!"  
  
Stephanie turned around to see her mother and father coming towards them and she put her best face forward. Vince was holding onto Tristan, who was squirming in his arms and grabbing onto the collar of his suit jacket. Chris wrapped his arm around Stephanie's waist and pulled her a little tighter against him.  
  
"Hi Mom, Daddy, how's my baby been?" Stephanie said, looking over at Tristan.  
  
"She's a delight, like always," Vince said, "I wish I could see her more often than twice a week."  
  
"When she's older, she can spend a week with you," Stephanie said, "I'm sure Chris and I could use a short vacation once in a while."  
  
"Speaking of the two of you, congratulations," Linda said genuinely, grasping her daughter's hand. "I knew there was something between the two of you, and I'm so glad that you were able to find it."  
  
"Thank you Mom," Stephanie said, that old, familiar blush creeping up onto her cheeks again. Knowing that even her parents could see it was a tiny bit humiliating. Was she really that blind all this time?  
  
"And you," Vince said, turning to Chris, "Now that I know you're with my daughter, my eye will be watching you even more closely."  
  
"Daddy!" Stephanie said, chastising him, "Don't embarrass me!"  
  
They all laughed at that, and Stephanie scowled and folded her arms petulantly. Leave it to her father to threaten the man who she hurt, who took her in, and loved her and never turned her back on her. She was the one who deserved to get the warning. She was the one liable to break Chris's heart. She had done it so many times before, whose to say she wouldn't do it again?  
  
She looked over at Chris and her heart jumped. Or at least, that's what it felt like. She loved Chris, more than she had ever loved Hunter. With Hunter, it was always a struggle to stay in love, a struggle to keep those feelings for him fresh. Not so with Chris, every moment, she loved him. It wasn't a feeling that she had to strive for, one she had to make happen. It just was, and he was always there, and she need not worry about those feelings disappearing, but that dark cloud of fear was hovering over her. She knew she could hurt Chris, she might hurt him, and she never wanted that to happen.  
  
"Steph!" Chris's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "I have to go get ready for my match."  
  
She noticed her parents and Tristan had vanished and she was standing alone with Chris. "Where did my parents and Trist go?"  
  
"Weren't you listening, I asked if they could watch her during my match, and they said yes, and they said bye, and now you're standing here looking at me as if I've grown another head and started tap dancing."  
  
"You can tap dance?" she asked with a playful smile.  
  
"Geez Steph, sometimes I wonder why I ever fell for you in the first place," Chris laughed as they walked back to his locker room.  
  
"I think me begging you for sex had something to do with it."  
  
"Well you know me, I'm a sucker for a girl who'll beg me for sex."  
  
"Don't I know it," she said, leaning her cheek against his shoulder, "We'll have to have a repeat performance of that sometime."  
  
"Yeah, but we shouldn't rush it," he said, "I'm not going to screw things up with you Stephanie. I plan on being with you for a very long time to come."  
  
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she breathed out her words softly. She just hoped that she wasn't the one to screw things up with him. Her two serious relationships before Chris had ended with her hurting them, although Hunter had hurt her first, but the fact remained the same. And how many times had she hurt Chris? Too many to count.  
  
She sat on the couch, folding some of Chris's things as Chris got dressed for his match. He came out moments later, pulling his hair back a little so he could see. He grabbed both of Stephanie's wrists and pulled her up from the couch and against him. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. They stood there, making out for a few moments before they had to head down there for Chris's match.  
  
It was weird coming out to Chris's music. That was the only thing she could think of as she held onto his arm. Chris was looking so proud and so happy that she had to smile, if only because of that. She was glad to hear the cheers as they made their way down to the ring. He kissed her quickly before ascending the steps into the ring to face Christian. She stood on the outside, preparing herself to watch the match between the two guys. She almost didn't want to see Chris fight Christian since he was apparently the one who had shown Chris what was right in front of his face.  
  
Chris glided masterfully through his match, she noted to herself. He really was a sight to see in the ring. With his running the ropes and his running bulldog. Going off the ropes for a springboard dropkick. Finally finishing off Christian with a Lionsault, his blonde hair flowing freely as it fell out of his ponytail. When he got the pin, she raced into the ring and hugged him.  
  
"You were awesome!" she exclaimed, the cheers of the crowds deafening.  
  
"Thanks," he said, kissing her briefly, "I think it was because you were out here. You were my good luck charm."  
  
"Nah, that was all skill," she told him proudly as she held up his arm in victory. "You are going to have the championship belt in no time at all!"  
  
"I can only hope," he told her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Now let's go backstage so you can hug me without me smelling and sweating like a pig."  
  
He leaned down to kiss her once again, more an assertion of their relationship. It was still new and exciting and letting everyone know about it was a different feeling entirely. Stephanie felt her stomach twist in knots when he kissed her. Not because of what he was doing, but because she couldn't get her mind off of what she had been thinking earlier.  
  
Chris really was too good with her. It was a fluke that they had a child together. An accident and if it hadn't been for Tristan, there would never be anything between them. Tristan was what had gotten them together, but what if she hadn't come to be? Would Chris even be interested in her?  
  
Chris led her up the ramp and to the backstage before stopping her, holding onto her hands lightly. He gazed at her a moment before speaking, "Steph, what's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"I know that look, I know you Steph, something's wrong. Are you regretting that we told everyone?" His tone was worried, as it should be. This had been a big step for them. It was one thing to actually be together; it was another thing entirely to tell the world they were together and to actually be a couple in front of other people, especially when people had been anticipating it for so long.  
  
"Can we talk about it at the hotel? I don't feel like discussing our personal life in public."  
  
"So it is serious?" he asked, furrowing his brow.  
  
"Yeah, it is," she told him, not divulging any more information.  
  
"You have me worried," Chris said, not hiding his feelings from her. The time for hiding their feelings was over, and if he wanted this thing to work with Stephanie, he was going to have to go in all out, nothing to hide.  
  
"You shouldn't be," Stephanie said, "It's me that's worried."  
  
"Then why don't we get Tristan and go back to the hotel."  
  
"We don't have to rush," she told him.  
  
"When we have to talk, it's a rush, can you go get Trist while I go take a shower?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They parted ways and she went back to her parent's dressing room, opening it to see Tristan asleep on a blanket, on the couch with Linda sitting next to her, reading a book. Stephanie smiled as Linda looked up at her, and then kneeled down next to the couch to watch Tristan sleep for a second.  
  
"How long has she been asleep?" Stephanie asked quietly of Linda.  
  
"About fifteen minutes," Linda answered, "Are you here to take her away from me?"  
  
"Sorry Mom, I know that you love her, but you'll see us tomorrow for breakfast right?"  
  
"Up in your father and my suite?"  
  
"Uh huh." Stephanie gently rubbed Tristan's back, the fabric of her jumper soft against Stephanie's palm. Tristan opened her eyes a little, lazily, sleep still her number one priority and Stephanie leaned a little closer and kissed her nose as Tristan yawned. "Hey there sleepy girl, you want to go to bed?"  
  
Tristan closed her eyes again and Stephanie slowly picked her up. She wrapped the blanket over Tristan so that she could stay warm when they went out to the parking lot. Linda stood up to help with Tristan's things and they walked back to Chris's locker room. Linda gave both of the girl's a parting kiss before promising to see them tomorrow. About this time, Tristan started to whimper gently and then cry a little. Stephanie rubbed her back and walked around with her, trying to calm her down.  
  
"Shh baby, it's ok, Mommy's here," Stephanie cooed into her daughter's here, "I'm here."  
  
Tristan grabbed a fistful of Stephanie's shirt and clung to her, burying her little face into Stephanie's shirt. Chris came out of the bathroom, his wet hair in a bun and his t-shirt loose and untucked. He pouted at Tristan and went over to where Stephanie was standing, looking at his little girl.  
  
"Hey there sweets," Chris said, leaning in close to Stephanie's shoulder. "Can I see your pretty face?"  
  
Tristan lifted her head up after hearing Chris's voice and sniffled as she looked over at her daddy. He gave a sad, little smile to her and brushed her soft hair away from her face. There were little, wet tracks on her face, where her tears had traveled down her face. Chris wiped her cheeks dry and poked her nose a little.  
  
"There's my pretty girl," he said with a happy smile, "Why were you crying? You tired?"  
  
"Yeah, she wants to go to bed," Stephanie said.  
  
"Ok sweetie, let's go."  
  
Chris grabbed all of his things, and then all of Tristan's things. Stephanie readjusted the blanket over Tristan before they walked to their car. Stephanie held Tristan the entire way back to the hotel, Tristan wailing if Stephanie even tried to put her in her car-seat. She was especially cranky tonight, probably because she had had to spend so much time away from her parents.  
  
When they went up to their hotel room, Stephanie took Tristan over to the couch and changed her diaper before laying her quietly in the crib they had brought up earlier. Tristan wasn't enjoying that situation as she began crying again. Stephanie winced, hating to hear her daughter cry at all. This time, Chris went over and picked her up, which ceased Tristan's crying almost immediately.  
  
"Ok, well, it would seem that someone is a little bit attached to her parents, so I'm thinking that we're going to have some company in bed tonight."  
  
Stephanie smiled, "Lucky for you I wasn't planning on pouncing you tonight."  
  
Chris put Tristan in the middle of the bed before he went to get ready for bed himself. Stephanie did the same and they climbed into bed, one on each side of Tristan. Tristan looked at Chris and he picked her up and laid her down on his bare chest, where she fell asleep happily. Chris held her tiny hand in his and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb as he looked over at Stephanie.  
  
"Ok, so you needed to talk."  
  
"Yeah, I did," Stephanie said, pausing then starting again, "You say you want to forget the past, everything, but I just can't do that Chris. I've been trying, and I can't. I hurt you, and I broke your heart, and I have to live with that. There's no other way around it, I have to live with it. I wish I could forget it, but when I try to, I see you, hurting, because of me. And Chris...you're too good for me."  
  
"Steph, if you can't forget that's fine, I know it's hard, but you not being good enough for me is silly. You can't go into this relationship thinking that you are inferior to me. It won't work that way, and I'm not letting anything stand in the way of us. Especially not your inferiority complex. If this is your unconscious way of trying to end things before you think you're going to get hurt, I'm not letting you. So suck it up gorgeous."  
  
"If Tristan wasn't born..."  
  
"I would've fallen in love with you."  
  
"But if she--"  
  
"I would've fallen in love with you."  
  
"I would've been with--"  
  
"I would've fallen in love with you."  
  
"But Chris--"  
  
"No matter what you would've done, no matter if you had gotten pregnant, or anything....Stephanie, I would've fallen in love with you." 


	53. Chapter 53

A/N: I've had writer's block, and I'm trying to push through it, and so this is what I got, don't know how it is, or what not, I hope you enjoy it, and if it sucks, well then I'm having even more writer's block than I thought. Oh well, thanks for the reviews for this, I'm glad you're liking it. :)

* * *

"Home!"  
  
Chris laughed as Stephanie rejoiced in being back home. She and Tristan walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch. Tristan giggled as she looked up at Stephanie. She and Chris had been understandably bombarded with questions and congratulations throughout the past couple of days, and the only thing Stephanie wanted now was the comfort of her bed and the comforts of home.  
  
"I don't think I've ever been so glad to be away from the company in my entire life!" Stephanie said as Chris came to join her on the couch.  
  
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."  
  
"Yeah, if you mean that it could've been a nuclear disaster," Stephanie said, "All I heard was, 'I'm so happy for you two,' or, 'it's about time.' I mean, we KNOW that we were stupid in not realizing our feelings, but does everyone have to point it out?"  
  
"They mean well gorgeous."  
  
"I know, but I don't like to be reminded of how stupid I had been. It's bad enough everyone knew about this before I did. I was so dense."  
  
"You weren't dense," he told her, "A little slow on the uptake, but not dense. And it's not like I saw it any sooner than you did."  
  
"Well, that's true," she laughed, "You didn't see it any quicker than I did. Well, not for the most part anyways, I mean, you were the one to approach me and tell me that you loved me."  
  
"Best thing I ever did," he said, running the back of his hand against her cheek. "That and Tristan of course."  
  
"She is pretty darn lovable. But do people have to highlight every single mistake we've made in this relationship like we're on display or something? I know that my life hasn't been the best example of what you would want to do, but I mean, it's bad enough that I'm that girl who slept with someone while married to someone else, had a child, and got divorced within one year, but now I have to be like an actress or something."  
  
"You make a mountain out of a mole hill, you know that right?" Chris said, loving the way she got all nervous over nothing. "What do you mean by that? That I'm overreacting."  
  
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Chris said, "Stephanie, our lives have always been on display, it's what we do. Every single person we work with, their lives are on display as well. You just forget that the cameras are constantly on you. I don't see anyone watching us right now except for the little girl in your arms and I doubt that she has a bug or wire on her."  
  
"Tristan, do you have a camera with you?"  
  
Tristan looked up at Stephanie in curiosity before she tried to climb across Stephanie's lap into Chris's lap. He picked her up easily and stood her up on his legs so she was facing him. She made a face at him and he rubbed noses with her in an eskimo kiss.  
  
"Are you glad to be home too baby?" She giggled and grabbed his hands with her own. "Are you a big girl, huh? Are you just a big girl?"  
  
She babbled to him and Stephanie leaned her head on Chris's shoulder so that she could watch the two most important people in her life. She closed her eyes for a moment, and it was just so peaceful sitting there. It felt so...right, and she couldn't quite explain why. It was like she had finally found that one place in the universe where she fit.  
  
"So you promised to go to the beach today, you're not going back on that promise are you?" Chris asked.  
  
Stephanie sighed. She didn't really enjoy the beach all that much, but as soon as they had landed at the airport and the pilot had told them it was a balmy 86 degrees outside, Chris had been hankering to go to the beach. She couldn't argue with him; he had that little kid excitement that she always found endearing, and she could hardly say no to that face.  
  
"Fine, fine," she said, "We'll go, let me go get Trist and I ready."  
  
Chris cheered, which caused Tristan to look surprised and open her mouth at Chris, like she was in shock. Chris laughed and planted his lips on her chubby cheek, to which she scrunched up her face to, like she didn't want the kiss. Stephanie stood up and took Tristan from Chris's arms and brought her upstairs to get her ready. Chris got ready as well.  
  
The beach was fairly crowded that day, but they managed to find a good spot on some soft sand. Chris laid out the large towels on the ground and the umbrella that Stephanie had insisted on buying. Stephanie sat herself on one of the towels and sat Tristan between her legs, taking out the baby sunscreen and covering Tristan with it. Stephanie laughed as Tristan tried to help her rub the lotion in.  
  
"She's a little helper," Stephanie said as Chris dropped their cooler down in the sand and then sat on the other towel. Tristan looked around and then pointed out to the ocean and looked back at Chris questioningly. "You want to go in the water for a little while?" Chris asked, as he was putting sunscreen on as well.  
  
"As soon as she's done here, she can," Stephanie said, "But I don't want her getting a sunburn."  
  
Stephanie finished up and Chris took his baby and they ran down to the water, Stephanie watching as he went in about waist high and dunked Tristan in the water. Chris looked back at her and held Tristan's hand up to wave at her. She waved back and then laid down on her stomach on the towel. The flight earlier had been exhausting and a nap right now sounded good. She was protected from the sun under the umbrella and was content to just lie there and veg out.  
  
"Stephanie, you should come in, the water's great," Chris said as he ran back over to the towel, Tristan laughing as he put her down. She crawled over to some sand and started grabbing at it and letting it run through her fingers as she watched in fascination.  
  
"I'm fine," she said, opening her eyes to watch Tristan.  
  
Chris laid down on his towel, dripping wet, but not caring, "Did I tell you that I talked to Kurt yesterday, ran into him at the gym?"  
  
"No, you didn't," Stephanie answered, "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"Well, you know how he wasn't at the show this week?"  
  
"Yes, his brother was having surgery and he wanted to be there," Stephanie said, "He called me personally to tell me and inform my father."  
  
"Figures that he'd call you instead of Vince," Chris snorted in dissatisfaction.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stephanie asked, looking up at him intently, wondering why his tone had changed so suddenly.  
  
"Nothing, he was there after the show yesterday because he had to do some interview or something, and he wanted to get in a work-out because he couldn't while he was at home."  
  
"Chris, is this story going somewhere, or are you just going to ramble on and on, even the seagulls are getting restless," Stephanie said, instinctively reaching over to Tristan and taking her hand away from her mouth, which had some sand on it that Tristan looked anxious to try. "That's not for eating sweetie, that's for playing."  
  
Chris took Tristan's hand and brushed some of the sand off, which she didn't like as she hit him in the leg. "Tristan, no hitting...ok, so I ran into Kurt, and he said he had seen the show..."  
  
_"Hey Chris, I caught the show on Monday."  
  
Chris looked up from the treadmill that he had been concentrating on, and saw Kurt standing in front of the machine. He was kind of glaring at him, but trying not to. Chris had a pretty good read on people; he had always fancied himself intuitive enough to read people's feelings. Although Kurt wasn't really trying to hide anything.  
  
"Cool," Chris said, not sure how to respond to that exactly.  
  
"I saw your little thing with Stephanie."  
  
Chris automatically smiled. Thinking about Stephanie did that to him. He was like a boy with his first real crush. Just the name of the woman he loved sent tremors through him. It was the exhilaration of not having to hide anymore, of not hiding his feelings for this woman who had completely captured his heart.  
  
"What about it Kurt?"  
  
"I thought you were with Victoria."  
  
"I was with Victoria, but that kind of fizzled out, and now I'm with Stephanie."  
  
"Pretty convenient, don't you think?"  
  
Now Chris was really confused, "How is that convenient?"  
  
"You just hop from one woman to the other, I guess you always had Stephanie on reserve, just in case things didn't work out with Victoria."  
  
"I've never had Stephanie 'on reserve,' I don't even know what that means."  
  
"First you use her to get her in bed, and knock her up, then you break her heart, and finally, when YOU'RE ready, you decide that now is the time that you can actually spend a lot of time with her."  
  
Chris now knew exactly what feeling he should be exhibiting, if the anger inside him was any indication. Kurt was trying to comment on a situation he knew NOTHING about, that was the lowest thing he could possibly do. Chris got off the treadmill and stood there, just shaking his head. Deciding that it wasn't worth it, he toweled off the machine and walked past Kurt, intending to go back to his hotel and spend time with his little girl since she was probably going to wake up from her nap any minute.  
  
"Yeah, I didn't think you would deny it."  
  
Chris spun around, "I know you've wanted in Stephanie's pants ever since you joined the company, don't try playing that innocent act, because nobody is fooled!"  
  
"I've just been trying to protect her from you," Kurt challenged.  
  
"Protect her from me? Why does she need protecting from me?"  
  
"Because you're probably just using her still."  
  
"She's the mother of my child."  
  
"Yeah, but your daughter is a mistake after you probably seduced her."  
  
Chris grabbed him by the towel around his neck and pulled him to him, so they were almost nose to nose. "If you say anything about my daughter again, I will not hesitate to kick your ass."  
_  
"Wait a second," Stephanie interrupted the retelling, "He called our daughter a mistake?"  
  
"Yeah, he said point blank that she was a mistake."  
  
Stephanie sat up, "He called our daughter a mistake!"  
  
"I almost lost it on him right there Stephanie, I really almost did. I managed just barely to keep myself from hurting him something fierce. Tristan has never been a mistake," Chris said, a scowl on his face, "Us sleeping together was a mistake, but Tristan herself, has never been a mistake."  
  
At hearing her name, Tristan looked up at her daddy and then crawled over to him, trying to hand him some sand. He took it and put it back on the beach as she picked up some more and tried to hand it to him again. He took it again and put it back. He watched her play with the sand some more and Kurt's words came back to haunt him. He may have made a lot of mistakes in his life, but she was never considered one of them.  
  
"I didn't know he would take this so hard," Stephanie said, brushing some sand off of her chest, "I knew he had a crush on me, but now he's just being mean."  
  
"I know," Chris said, "I mean, say something about me, but to say something about my daughter, a little, almost eight-month old girl, calling her a mistake, man he must've wanted you really badly."  
  
Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Like I told you so long ago, he's always been kind of a jerk, and I have never wanted to date him in my entire life."  
  
"Well that's good, cause then maybe you would've gone to him that night and slept with him, and then he'd be the one with the mistake."  
  
Stephanie smiled, "Chris, I was upset that night, I wasn't completely desperate."  
  
"Oh, so you would only go to Kurt if you were completely desperate?"  
  
"Yeah, you caught me," she said, "I wasn't desperate when I went to you."  
  
She leaned over to kiss him as Tristan stood herself up using Chris's leg, but this went unnoticed by either parent and she tried to push their faces apart. Chris looked to the side to see Tristan standing there with a grin on her face.  
  
"Excuse me, I was getting a very good kiss right there and you had to interrupt," Chris said, pretending to be mad. Tristan smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss. "I got kisses from two great girls today, I must be the luckiest man in the universe."  
  
"And maybe you'll be even luckier later," Stephanie whispered in his ear.  
  
Chris looked at her, his mouth almost dropping open. He and Stephanie were trying to take this relationship slowly and because of that, they hadn't yet slept together. Not that he didn't want to, because he really did want to, but because it just seemed rushed. Yes, they realized how stupid that sounded considering that they had already slept together, but this was like starting over from scratch.  
  
"Stephanie?"  
  
"Do you need that repeated?" she asked.  
  
"But..." He was at a loss for words. He was content in his relationship with Stephanie, and he didn't want to push her. "We don't..."  
  
"Has it occurred to you that maybe I want to, and this isn't my attempt at appeasing you," she said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Chris looked down at her in her bikini top. He hated that he knew what she looked like naked because it created some very awkward thoughts in his mind. Stephanie took her index finger and tipped his chin up to look in her eyes, knowing exactly where he had been looking. She leaned against him again and kissed his neck.  
  
"Ok, let's go home right now," Chris said, standing up quickly, "Forget the beach, I want to go home."  
  
Stephanie giggled and sat cross-legged, "I thought you wanted to stay here and have lunch and everything. I got all dressed in my bikini, and Tristan in her bathing suit, and we have the cooler here and everything, and now you want to go home."  
  
"But you're enticing me, look at you in that bathing suit."  
  
"Chris, it's just a bathing suit."  
  
"But you in that bathing suit does not make it just a bathing suit."  
  
"You dragged me here in the first place, so we're going to enjoy ourselves," she said as she grabbed a soda and a bottle for Tristan, handing it to her as she started to grab for it.  
  
"Fine," he said, sitting down, "But later."  
  
Later came after a tiring day at the beach. Tristan had started to get cranky and tired, throwing sand around, and that's when they knew that it was time to go home. They packed up their things and drove back home. Stephanie took Tristan up to take a bath while Chris started in on dinner. He thought back to what Stephanie had said earlier, and smiled, but then thought back even farther to what Kurt had said and he bit the inside of his mouth. After boiling some water for pasta, he went upstairs to where Stephanie was putting Tristan's pajamas on.  
  
"Going to bed Trist?"  
  
"She's exhausted, she almost fell asleep in the tub," Stephanie said as Tristan yawned and whined a little as Stephanie took too long.  
  
She put Tristan in her crib and moved her stuffed dog over so Tristan could grab it and lay her head near it. She leaned down and kissed her forehead before Chris did the same. They put her mobile on and then her nightlight before closing the door three-quarters of the way. Chris wrapped his arm around Stephanie's bare waist and kissed her shoulder.  
  
"I started the water downstairs for dinner."  
  
Stephanie leaned into a kiss with him, that soon became heated as Chris pushed her against the wall. They didn't even notice that they had knocked down a picture of Tristan. Stephanie wrapped a leg around his legs and pulled him even closer to her. He kissed her cheek and then down to her neck where she moaned softly. He pulled away before anything else could happen.  
  
"Um, should we?"  
  
"Oh God yes," Stephanie said.  
  
"Ok, you go in the bedroom, and I'll go turn off the water downstairs so we don't burn the house down."  
  
Stephanie laughed as she ran into the bedroom and went to check her hair. She didn't want to look like crap when Chris came back. She got up on the bed and settled herself against the pillows, trying to look as enticing as possible for him. When he walked back in, he had a lecherous grin on his face as he closed the door part-way, so they could still hear Tristan if she needed them.  
  
"You are so beautiful," Chris whispered as he walked closer to the bed.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you know how long I've wanted you like I had you that night?" he said as he got to the foot of the bed.  
  
"Everyday since?"  
  
"Pretty much," he answered as he crawled on top of the covers, creeping closer and closer to her, "That night was so incredible."  
  
"Uh huh," she nodded coyly.  
  
He finally reached her and she smiled up at him flirtily. He ran his hand up her hip, a hip he had all but forgotten about, but here he was, in the same position he was more than a year ago. Stephanie could see his hesitation and she leaned up to kiss him.  
  
"I want this, I really do."  
  
"I know, so do I, I was just thinking about last time."  
  
"Last time was fun, but you know what?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"This time will be even more fun."  
  
"It will? How is that even possible."  
  
"Because Chris Jericho, I love you, and that makes all the difference." 


	54. Chapter 54

Chris was wowed by Stephanie, although she did wow him every single time he saw her, but now she was a different kind of wow. He had slept with her before, obviously, but this was different, completely, in a way that she had put perfectly. They were in love now and that made all the difference in the world to them. It had taken them almost an eternity to get it right, but now that they had, they were not going to let it slip away.  
  
"Ok, tell me again why I didn't start dating you immediately after we had sex the last time?" Stephanie said as they were eating breakfast the next morning.  
  
"I think that was because you were a little blinded by your husband cheating on you," Chris said as he spooned some cereal in his mouth.  
  
"Oh yeah, damn me for being so blind. To think I could've been doing that with you for over a year...well, almost except for when I was really pregnant with Tristan. But you know what I mean."  
  
Chris laughed, "I know what you mean. I never should've let you slip through my fingers the way I did. I should've fought to keep you, and I'm sorry I didn't."  
  
"Did you love me when I got back with Hunter?" Stephanie asked. She didn't think he was, but she could've been mistaken. She thought it had come soon after or a little before he had found out that she was pregnant with his child.  
  
"I knew I cared about you in more than a friendly way," Chris answered, pursing his lips. "I don't think that I knew the depth of my feelings at the time. It was more me developing feelings for you."  
  
"Oh," Stephanie said, "I had no idea. I thought you fell in love with me after you found out about Trist."  
  
Chris wiped off Tristan's face, covered in pureed peaches, which he had been feeding her for breakfast. He rubbed her cheek a little. "Well, she would've made me fall in love with you if I hadn't already."  
  
"Would she?" Stephanie asked in a baby voice as she looked at Tristan. Tristan, in return gave her a strange look, like she didn't exactly know what Stephanie was trying to do. She kept her eyes on her mommy as Chris spooned some more food into her mouth. Some of it dribbled out of her mouth and Stephanie laughed. "I love you my messy girl."  
  
"I think she just made me love you more," Chris answered, thinking back for a second, "It's true what they say, you do love a woman more when they're carrying your child. Even if the woman wouldn't admit to anyone."  
  
Stephanie stuck her tongue out at him, "Shut up, you know how sorry I am about that."  
  
"Hey, I have you now, so whatever happened I don't really care. In the end, I'm the one that came away with everything."  
  
"Wow, like to gloat much?" Stephanie said sarcastically.  
  
"Well, I've got the hot girlfriend and the perfect daughter, what more could I ask for...except for maybe the World title?"  
  
"Yeah, there's that," Stephanie said, "But you can get that easily."  
  
"Trist, do you want to be my valet with Mommy, I think you'd be a great distraction during the match?" Chris asked the little girl. Tristan looked up at him and babbled happily.  
  
"Yeah, what is she going to do out there? Charm everyone to submission?"  
  
"That's what I was hoping for," Chris said, raising his eyebrows. "Do you think that anyone would honestly not want to tap just because they saw this cute little girl looking at them, begging them with her eyes to stop hurting her daddy."  
  
"Ok, well if she did that, then yes, I think she'd be an asset to you. But you're saying you would rather have her out there than me? Did you hear that Trist, Daddy loves you more than he loves me!" Tristan's eyes widened as she looked between the two of them. Then she giggled and reached her arms out to Chris. Chris laughed and wiped her face and hands before he picked her up and sat her on the table next to his bowl.  
  
"Well, we know that someone is a Daddy's Girl," Stephanie said, looking at the two of them. "I guess I'm just out in the cold."  
  
"Aww, Mommy, we love you too," Chris said in a baby, girly voice. "Don't we Trist?" Tristan smiled at Stephanie.  
  
"Oh, that really made my day," she said, "Do we really have to go to work tomorrow?"  
  
"Yes. Unless you can use your super-duper McMahon powers to get us out of it."  
  
"I could, but actually, I think I have to have words with Kurt," Stephanie said, grinning devilishly.  
  
"What kind of words?" Chris asked, raising a curious eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, I don't know, something along the lines of him getting fired by my dad if he ever calls my daughter a mistake again. In case he's forgotten, that little mistake is Vince McMahon's one and only granddaughter, and he loves her more than he loves a wrestler," Stephanie answered succinctly and with anger just lying beyond her words.  
  
Chris looked at Tristan, "Did you hear that Trist? Mommy is ready to kick butt for you."  
  
"Like I wouldn't have anyways."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but still, it makes me very...you know, when you get all powerful and sexy like that," Chris said to her.  
  
"Eww, not around my little girl," Stephanie said, "She's impressionable."  
  
"I'm sorry Trist," Chris said, kissing her cheek, "Forgive me."  
  
Tristan babbled and slammed her hands on the table. "I think that's a no."  
  
"Hey! I'm ready to kick butt for you too," Chris joked to Tristan. She turned her head to look at him questioningly. Chris laughed, "Don't look at me like I wouldn't kick anyone's butt for you. You just point to someone and I'll get them."  
  
"I'm sure you would," Stephanie said, "Daddy's little girl has to have her way."  
  
"Did she just sound bitter Trist, or was it just me." She reached out to poke him in the nose and he looked at her. "See, she thinks I hit it right on the nose, Mommy is bitter."  
  
"I'm not bitter, why would I be bitter? I understand that you love her more than you love me."  
  
Chris grabbed her hand and laced his finger through hers. She looked him in the eyes, eyes that were filled with adoration and they were for her. She would never understand, fully and completely, why he loved her after all she had done. She knew he loved her, but she would never figure out why. It wasn't like she actually thought she was worthy, but she was slowly, but surely accepting that some things she couldn't and wouldn't understand.  
  
"I think you two are dead even," he told her.  
  
The next day, they took their flight to the next arena. Stephanie vaguely wondered if Tristan was used to the traveling. She knew that at some point, she would have to settle down, or her and Chris would have to settle down and raise their daughter. Bringing her up on the road was no way to have a good childhood. Tristan hardly ever cried on planes anymore, and was usually content to look out the window, where they always put her carseat. It was like she knew what they were doing.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"Yeah?" he responded, looking up from the in-flight magazine that he was perusing. There weren't any interesting articles, but he was bored and Stephanie had said they could bring out the DVD player after the drinks were served.  
  
"When do you think I have to stop traveling?"  
  
"Stop traveling? What are you, pregnant again?" he asked jokingly.  
  
"No," she said with the roll of her eyes, "I mean, when Tristan shouldn't be traveling anymore. She's going to need friends her own age, in pre- school, and she can't go to pre-school if she's traveling all over the country until she's eighteen years old."  
  
"How did she go from eight months old, to pre-school, to eighteen years old in the matter of seconds?"  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
"Stephanie, why do we have to think about this now? I haven't thought about it, I've barely thought past Wednesday when Tristan has her doctor's appointment."  
  
"Oh," she said, going quiet, "I guess I won't either."  
  
He kissed her, "We'll figure it out when it comes to that."  
  
She went quiet again and let him go back to his magazine. Her thoughts were suppressed for the moment as she leaned her head on Chris's shoulder. She closed her eyes and just concentrated on hearing Chris breathing, opening her eyes every so often to look at Tristan. Chris was helping her learn not to get so uptight and worried about things, but she guessed she still had a little ways to go.  
  
"Stephanie!"  
  
Stephanie turned around and looked to the man walking quickly to catch up to her. She groaned quietly as she saw Kurt coming toward her. She turned to Tristan, whom she had been holding and made a face. Tristan tried to emulate her mommy's face and then smiled as she leaned her head against Stephanie.  
  
"I love you my sweet girl," Stephanie whispered to her daughter.  
  
"Osfdoin fiowerh lioton."  
  
"Hey Steph, I'm glad I caught you," Kurt said as he stopped in front of her.  
  
"Are you?" Stephanie said testily.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
Stephanie decided to see what he had to say for himself. She wanted to watch him squirm. Stephanie almost couldn't believe that he could stand here so nonchalantly and just look at her and her daughter and know that he had called Tristan a mistake. She had that word running through her mind ever since Chris had said it and it didn't get any easier to take.  
  
"Nothing," she said, "I guess I'm just tired because of Tristan. Having a child is hard work."  
  
"Yeah, I bet. But she is a cute one."  
  
Stephanie shook her head as Kurt just laid on the flattery, like she was supposed to just take it. Maybe she thought that Chris hadn't told her about what happened, but how could Chris not tell her something important like telling her that someone had called her daughter a mistake.  
  
"Yeah, I'm well aware."  
  
"Stephanie McMahon, I've been looking everywhere for you!"  
  
Stephanie grinned as she saw Hunter walking over. She hugged him with her free arm and he hugged her, wrapping his arms around her waist before dropping a friendly kiss on her cheek. He took Tristan's little hand in his large one and gave it a little shake, much to Tristan's delight as she giggled.  
  
"Hey Hunter, what's up?"  
  
"I ran into Chris and asked where you were and he said you were walking around with Tristan trying to get her sleepy."  
  
"Yeah, but it looks like she doesn't want to nap," Stephanie answered as she looked to Tristan who didn't have a hint of sleepiness in her eyes.  
  
"Hey there pretty girl," Hunter said, smiling at her, "Can I carry her Steph?"  
  
"Of course," Stephanie said, handing her over. As soon as she was in Hunter's arms, Tristan pulled on his hair, causing a laugh from Hunter.  
  
"She's still pulling hair?"  
  
"Yeah, although we've been trying to get her to stop, but she's like too cute to get mad at."  
  
"I can understand that...oh hey Kurt," Hunter said quickly, "Actually Stephanie, I have a question for you, I was wondering if maybe you could bring up to your dad about letting Stacy accompany me to my matches."  
  
"Oh, you want your girlfriend out there," Stephanie teased, pinching Hunter's cheek playfully.  
  
"Tristan tell your mommy that she's not allowed to do that anymore." Hunter laughed when Tristan just smiled.  
  
"She's MY daughter Hunter, she's not going to side with you!"  
  
"Great...so can you...I know your dad knows about what happened with us. I'm sure he hates me because of it..."  
  
"He's not happy, but he'll get over it," Stephanie said, "It worked out for the better anyways."  
  
"Yeah, especially since you FINALLY told Chris you were in love with him. I don't have to listen to you pining away for him anymore."  
  
"Oh, you know you loved it."  
  
"Yup, hearing my ex-wife gushing about another guy, that's just perfection."  
  
"I'll see what I can do. Maybe, MAYBE, I can go around my dad with it and then he'd have no choice to accept it when I hold Tristan in front of me. He'd never be able to say no around her."  
  
"Great, thank you SO much, you have no idea how much this'll mean to us."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"So what's up with you and Kurt here?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Oh, well, Kurt called Tristan a mistake last week and I was just about to bring it up with him."  
  
Hunter's eyes turned cold and dark. He had told Chris that he would hurt him if he ever hurt Stephanie or Tristan. That threat extended to others as well. Hunter turned to look at Kurt and Kurt's eyes were wide, darting from Stephanie to Hunter and back again. He was caught and he knew it.  
  
"What?" Hunter said, his voice low.  
  
"Yeah, he told Chris, CHRIS, of all people that Tristan was a mistake and then proceeded to act like he never said it to me," Stephanie said, "I think Kurt's lucky to be alive after he told Chris that."  
  
"Yeah, I can understand Chris having to remain calm, he has Tristan after all, to think about, but I don't." Hunter handed Tristan over to Stephanie and then stepped up to Kurt. "So Kurt, you called my friend Stephanie's daughter a mistake?"  
  
"I think he misunderstood," Kurt stammered.  
  
"How did that happen Kurt, please enlighten me? My daughter has never been a mistake. I love her, and I've loved her since I found out I was having her. Maybe sleeping with Chris was a mistake. Maybe not telling Hunter the truth immediately was a mistake, but my daughter's life, my daughter's being and existence has never been a mistake, and for you to even say that to anyone is horrible."  
  
"Misunderstood? You call Tristan, the cutest little girl in the entire world, a mistake, how is anyone supposed to misunderstand that!"  
  
Kurt took off running and Stephanie's jaw dropped as she took a step back when Hunter took chase after Kurt. Stephanie let out a little chuckle before she felt two arms wrap around her waist and Chris rest his chin on the side where Tristan wasn't.  
  
"So what are we looking at?" Chris asked.  
  
"That," Stephanie said, pointing with her free hand.  
  
Chris watched as Kurt turned a corner, looking back briefly to see Hunter chasing after him. Chris almost didn't want to ask, but he was far too intrigued by what they were doing to just accept the fact that Hunter was chasing Kurt.  
  
"Um, what was that about?"  
  
"Hunter found out about Kurt calling Tristan a mistake and he decided to take matters into his own hands."  
  
"Better him than me," Chris scoffed, "Hunter will just maim him while I would've murdered him."  
  
"Yeah, that'll teach Kurt." 


	55. Chapter 55

A/N: Sorry if the chapter is boring, I'm just setting stuff up for later. :)

* * *

Hunter managed to corner Kurt in one of the garages at the arena. Kurt was looking around frantically, desperately trying to find a way out. He hadn't realized that Stephanie still had Hunter on her side, or that Chris and Hunter had allegedly buried the hatchet. He was kind of regretting the fact that he hadn't learned this information sooner.

"So let me recap what's happened so far," Hunter said as she pounded his fist against the open palm of his other hand. "You called Stephanie's daughter a mistake. Now it seems to me that you have no right to call her that. It also seems that you have underestimated just how many people love that little girl, and you know what else Kurt?"

"Wh--what," Kurt said, his voice wavering as his eyes focused on the fist that Hunter was making, hoping that wasn't going to come in contact with any part of his face.

"I considered Tristan my daughter for a while there, and I still love her because she's one of my friend's children, so unless you can pull of a miracle in the next three seconds and try and convince me that what you said wasn't what it meant, you may come out of this in one piece."

"Chris, he manipulated what I said, he took it the wrong way!"

"Did you say that Tristan was a mistake, it's as simple as that Kurt, did you tell Chris that Tristan was a mistake?"

"Yes, but--"

"Oops, time's up," Hunter said with a eerily calm smile. Then he pounced on Kurt and punched him in the face.

Stephanie sat down across the table from Chris, sitting in between Matt and Trish. Jeff was currently playing peek-a-boo with Tristan, who was having a blast hitting her palms against Jeff's hands. Chris smiled at Stephanie across the table and she returned the smile shyly, still a little wary of showing her relationship off in public. She was getting better at it though; she was still a little ashamed of her blindness towards Chris's feelings for her.

"Chris was telling us about what Kurt said about Tristan, I can't believe he would say that to Chris's face."

"I know," Stephanie said, "I don't know what he was thinking about when he said that."

"I mean, it's one thing saying it behind your back, that's under-handed, but to say it to your face," Matt said, shaking his head. "What an asshole."

"I wonder if Hunter is messing with him right now," Stephanie said, a wry smile covering her face. Chris laughed at the thought of Hunter beating up Kurt.

"I think he deserves anything he gets from Hunter," Chris said. "And it's a good thing it was Hunter, because he'll take it easier on Kurt than I ever would."

Tristan started crying and both Chris and Stephanie's ears pricked up and turned to Tristan. That was definitely her, "I'm hungry, feed me," cry and Stephanie reached over to grab her from Jeff. "I think she's hungry you guys, we'll see you later."

"I'll come with you Steph," Chris said, standing up.

"You don't have to come."

"I want to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why don't you want me to come."

"Well, if you're having fun, I don't want to tear you away from that."

"But you're allowed, uh uh, I don't think so," Chris said.

"I'll be fine."

"I'm coming with you."

"You don't have to."

"I swear, I want to."

"Are you really sure?" she asked.

"God, Chris, just go with Stephanie, Stephanie, just let Chris come with you, he obviously wants to," Trish said with a laugh. "Sometimes..."

"Fine," Stephanie laughed, "We'll see you guys later."

Stephanie and Chris left with Tristan in tow. Tristan was cranky and tried to squirm her way out of Stephanie's arms. Stephanie had to hold onto her tightly to make sure she didn't squirm right out of her arms. Tristan was starting to be really independent, which they guessed was a part of her parents that she adopted. If Tristan had her way, she would probably just crawl around and visit with everyone...except Big Show of course, she was still terrified of him.

"Tristan, can you stop moving for a second?" Stephanie said, pulling Tristan down from where she was trying to just go right over her shoulder. "You're going to fall and then Mommy will cry."

"Let me take her," Chris said, taking Tristan and holding her at arm's length, "Be a good girl you hear me Tristan or I'm going to tickle you and make you be good."

Tristan looked at him and gave him a pout and he pulled her into his chest where she giggled and looked up at him to touch his cheek with her hand. Chris scrunched up his face at her and she giggled and laid her head next to his neck. Stephanie smiled happily and leaned her head against Chris's shoulder as they walked. Perfection was so underrated.

They got back to their dressing room and Chris sat Tristan down on the couch with her back to the arm. She immediately started to stand up using the back of the couch and Stephanie watched her closely as Chris got her bottle and baby food. He brought it back over and upon seeing it Tristan sat down obediently since she knew exactly what those items were.

After he was done feeding her, Chris put Tristan on the ground to play around a bit. She happily crawled around the couched and other items of furniture while Stephanie sat in Chris's lap. He laughed and looked at her. "Are you taking Tristan's spot?"

"Yeah, I am," she said, "I have to get some time in somewhere because if I'm not quick enough, Tristan will take you right out from under me."

"You can schedule some time," Chris told her with a cocky smile, "I think I can fit you in somewhere next week for about twenty minutes."

"Very funny," she answered, "I don't want to have to schedule time with you."

"Well then, talk with Tristan so she can let you know when she won't be using me."

Stephanie kissed him and laced her fingers through his, holding onto his hand tightly. "You're a hot commodity."

"What do you expect when you're Chris Jericho? I am just so in demand that everyone wants a piece of me all the time. It's a wonder that I'm even in one piece with everyone trying to pull me towards them."

"You make it sound like I'm one of your many, many girlfriends."

"No, that's not it all, you're one of the many, many mother's of my children."

"That's not cool," Stephanie said, pouting and crossing her arms in front of her chest to glare at him indignantly. "What if you did have other children out there?"

"Steph, I don't have any other kids, except for Tristan. If I did, I'm sure I would've known about it and I'm sure I would've told you."

"I know," she answered. "I just want to be the only one that you have kids with."

"A little possessive are we now?" Chris said, smirking. "I'm just so damn charming I've got you under my spell."

"Or I don't want you springing other kids on me."

"That too," he laughed.

Tristan crawled over to the couch and tried to lift herself into a standing position so she could see her parents. From Chris and Stephanie's vantage point, they could only see her little bottom covered with a diaper and her bare feet. Chris held out his hand and Tristan moved herself to a sitting position to be able to grab onto his hand. Chris leaned forward a little to pull her up until she squealed with happiness at finally being in a standing position. Stephanie's cell phone went off just then and startled Tristan as tears came to her eyes.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry," Stephanie said, picking Tristan up and handing her to Chris. "Can you take her so I can answer the phone?"

"Sure," Chris said, kissing Tristan's cheek as Stephanie stood up. "Come on Trist, we'll have a crawling race."

Stephanie laughed and moved out of the way so Chris and Tristan could both fit on the ground. Remembering the ringing in her pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and turned towards the wall to speak. "Stephanie McMahon."

"Stephanie, it's your father."

"Hi Daddy, what's up?"

"I'm currently running late and I need you to sit in the production meeting for me, if that's alright with you."

"I'd love to Daddy, is there anything you need me to discuss?"

"I think that everyone has the information they need, you just need to coordinate and lead the meeting, take notes for me, and brief me in when I get there, if I get there," Vince said, loudly, obviously for the benefit of his driver.

"Will do Daddy."

"Thank you Princess, how's my little Princess?" Vince asked, referring to his granddaughter, who he had dubbed, "The Little Princess."

"She's racing around the room with Chris, having a ball," Stephanie said, "I'm sure she'd love to see you though."

"Good to hear, see you later, bye Stephanie."

"Bye Dad," she said hanging up and then turned around to see Chris looking up at her questioningly. "I have to go sit in on a meeting for my dad, shouldn't be too hard or anything."

"Steph, I have a promo first thing during the show, I don't need you out there for it, but what about Tristan?"

"Chris, I HAVE to sit in on this meeting for my dad, I can't watch her."

"I can't watch her either," Chris said, "So what are we supposed to do?"

"Like there isn't a hundred people who wouldn't love to spend time with her."

"Yeah, you're right, she just doesn't like to be away from us," Chris said, looking at his daughter who had stopped crawling around to watch her parents and her head looked back and forth between her mother and her father like she was watching a tennis match.

"It's only for a little while, whoever is the first to be done will go and get her, it's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal though," Chris said, "She needs us."

"Chris, every once in a while she doesn't need us. She loves to be around people. She will always need us the most," she told him, seeing the concern in his eyes.

"Ok, I guess--"His sentence was interrupted by a knock at the door. Tristan started crawling to it and Chris pulled her back so she was crawling away from the door, in case someone decided to open it without asking if they could and hit her. "Come in."

Hunter walked in, one his hands out of sight and saw the scene before him. Chris was on the floor with Tristan, both of them crawling around and Stephanie was standing there. He gave the room one more look before saying, "What's going on around here?"

"I was just racing Tristan around the couch," Chris said, "But she's a little speedracer."

"So her old man can't keep up, is that it? Man Chris, getting old are we?" Hunter said with a laugh.

"You try keeping up with her wise guy," Chris said good-naturedly.

"Damn!" Stephanie exclaimed. "I forgot to ask my father if it was ok to have Stacy go out to the match with you."

"You're going to have Stacy as your valet?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, I want her to," Hunter nodded. "That's why I was looking for Stephanie earlier."

"And it all becomes so clear," Chris said, pretending to be mystified.

"So I take it you didn't ask your dad, huh Steph?"

"No, but I'm in charge since he's not here, if you can hold out this week, we can probably set up an angle next week that would explain her sudden appearance by your side, if you can wait that long."

"That'd be great thanks," Hunter said, then paused, "But that's not actually why I came here to see you guys. There's someone who has something to say to you."

Hunter pulled Kurt roughly into the room. Kurt was definitely looking worse for the wear as it was obvious that Hunter had beaten him up really well. He had the beginnings of a black eye and there was dried blood on his lip. Stephanie had to physically take a step back as she was in total shock that Hunter had actually beaten him up in this fashion.

"So what did you want to say Kurt?" Hunter prodded.

"I'm sorry," Kurt mumbled.

"I don't think I heard you," Hunter said.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said louder, "I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Good, now you're free to go," Hunter said, throwing Kurt out of the room, literally and then comically dusting off his hands.

"Hunter, you didn't have to do that."

"Hey, you're my friend, I felt I had to."

"Hey, as long as you're our friend," Chris said, "How would you like to baby-sit for a little while."

"I walked right into this one," Hunter laughed, "Sure, I'll baby-sit. So who am I baby-sitting? You or Tristan."

"Well, I can take care of myself for a short time, so I guess that would leave Tristan," Chris answered.

"Ok, cool, come to Uncle Hunter," Hunter said, holding his arms out. Tristan just sat there and laughed. "Or not."

"Good luck," Chris said as he lead Stephanie out of the room. Hunter looked at Tristan again and laughed.

"Come on Tristan, we'll have fun."

Stephanie and Chris split up, and she was walking down the hallway when Kurt stumbled down it, still feeling the affects of the beating he had taken from Hunter. He looked up and saw Stephanie walking towards him. He didn't think that she had spotted him yet, but then she looked up and saw him. She looked away a moment and then walked past him.

"Stephanie, I really am sorry," Kurt told her.

"It's too late Kurt, you said what you said and you can't take it back."

"I didn't mean it."

"You didn't insult me Kurt, you insulted my daughter. You said she was a mistake, you called my child a mistake. It doesn't matter if you're sorry or not or whatever, the fact remains that you said it. I can't believe you would say something like that."

"I just didn't think Chris was with you for the right reasons."

"Then what are those right reasons Kurt? Because I think that loving me and having a child with me are the right reasons, but apparently in your book it equates him trying to use me in some weird way. I'm not buying it Kurt, and I'm sorry that you had to stoop so low as to demean the existence of my daughter. She's never done anything wrong ever Kurt, all she does day in and day out is be the best thing to ever walk into my life and into Chris's life and the moment you said she was a mistake, you forfeited any kind of civil relationship that could've happened between us. You're a sad person Kurt, and I don't talk to sad people."


	56. Chapter 56

"Yes Mom, I know that you want to see her."

"I haven't seen her in three months, she could be walking and talking by now and I would have no idea because I haven't seen her," Loretta complained. Chris rolled his eyes. His mother had called him and was insisting that they bring Tristan up for a visit since they were going to be in Canada doing shows.

"Well, I can tell you right now, she's neither walking, nor is she talking yet, so you don't have to worry about that," Chris answered.

"I never get to see her. I only get pictures sent to me."

"Mom, we're just really busy. Stephanie is practically running the show right now. Her father and mother wanted to go on an extended vacation, and so they're in Europe somewhere, and her brother works at the home office in Greenwich, so that leaves Stephanie to be the sole McMahon at the shows, and she's working hard."

"Well, if you can't come," Loretta said, disappointment ringing through her voice. "I know that you two are busy, I just want to see you more often."

"I call you every week Mom, you're not missing out on anything terribly important. Do you want to talk to Tristan for a second?"

"Where is she?"

"She's napping, but if you really want to talk to her, I can wake her up. She's going to wake up soon anyways," Chris told her, glancing towards the large, thick blanket sprawled out on the floor where Tristan was sleeping.

"Oh no, I couldn't do that, she needs her sleep. Just tell her that grandma and grandpa love her and whenever we see her next, we're going to spoil her rotten with new toys and whatever she wants."

"And what about her father? Doesn't he get anything at all?" Chris asked, trying to make his voice sound pathetic.

"What do you want Christopher?"

"If you promise to make your famous tamales, then I swear we'll come visit you next week," Chris said hopefully.

"That's it, that's all you want?"

"Yup."

"Ok, deal, now get my granddaughter up here so I can see her cute face."

"Ok Mom, I'll call you with the details."

"Bye honey, I love you."

"Yeah, love you too Mom, bye."

Chris hung up his cell phone and set it down on the coffee table. He was staying at Vince and Linda's for the week. They were off in Europe, and since Stephanie was working overtime in their absence, they had decided to stay at her parent's house so she could commute to Greenwich. He was a little bit uncomfortable staying in such a big house that wasn't his, but Stephanie insisted that he make himself feel like he was at home.

He got on his hands and knees and crawled silently over to the blanket where Tristan was taking her nap. He laid down on his side next to her and watched her sleep for a second. She was lying on her back, her legs and arms sprawled out of the blanket. Her stuffed dog was lying next to her and her head was nodded off to one side. She had a little, steady line of drool dribbling from her mouth and Chris reached out to wipe it carefully with the bib she was wearing. She moved her arm a little bit, but then went back to sleeping peacefully.

Thinking she had the right idea, Chris got himself comfy on the blanket, laying his head on his arm and closing his eyes. Tristan had been all over the downstairs this morning after her breakfast, exploring this house that she didn't know, finding little nooks and crannies to crawl into. She was a handful, but a handful he loved with everything in him. Following her around though, trying to keep up with her boundless amounts of energy, it was like going through two Iron Man matches in one night, tiring. And so it only took him about five minutes to fall asleep.

Stephanie walked into the house, throwing her keys on the table in the front hall and sorting through her parents mail. Nothing good was in it, and so she set it on the table as well. She had come home to grab some lunch with Chris and Tristan. Tristan had probably already eaten, but she wasn't sure about Chris. Oh well, she thought, he could just sit with her while she ate. She also had to grab a dress for the evening because she was having a big business dinner with some potential sponsors. She wanted to make a good impression since this involved a lot of money.

"Chris!" she called out. "You here!"

She didn't hear anyone answer, but she had seen the car that Chris had been driving for the past couple of days in the garage, so he must be here. She walked into the living room and stopped in her tracks because the picture before her was too sweet for words. Lying on the blanket together, taking simultaneous naps were Chris and Tristan. She tilted her head and sighed happily as she saw them. She studied both their features for a second, and especially when they were both sleeping, Tristan looked just like her daddy. Stephanie didn't want to disturb them and quietly went into the kitchen. She made herself a tuna sandwich and got some potato chips and put them all on a plate. She went to go check on Tristan really quick, knowing this was just about the time she woke up from her nap, and saw that she was indeed awake

Tristan was about to attempt to climb across Chris's stomach. She went over and scooped her up before she could wake Chris up. Since she had been doing all the work at the office, Chris was left to take care of Tristan by herself, and Stephanie knew what a full-time job that was. Tristan frowned when she looked at Stephanie, seemingly mad that she had interrupted her attempt to wake her daddy up. Stephanie kissed Tristan's cheek and brought her into the kitchen with her, sitting her on the counter facing Stephanie while Stephanie ate. Tristan babbled and Stephanie looked up from her food.

"What do you want sweetie?" Stephanie asked. Tristan just smiled at her. "I love you."

Chris stirred a little bit and reached his arm out, stretching it and trying to get the numb feeling away, since he had been resting his head on his arm this entire time. He opened his eyes and blinked a little bit, trying to adjust to the light again. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but a nap was just what he needed. He looked to his right to check on Tristan, only to find that she wasn't there. He blinked again and then widened his eyes, thinking that he had somehow missed her or something. But she still wasn't there. He sat up and looked around the room, trying to locate her.

"Tristan?" he asked the room, but heard nothing. He spoke again, slightly louder, "Tristan..."

If the kitchen had been anywhere near the living room, Stephanie would've heard Chris calling out for Tristan, but it was a big house and there were many rooms between the living room and the kitchen. Chris stood up quickly and looked around the room, checking underneath the couches and anywhere else he thought an eight month old baby could fit. When he couldn't locate her in there, he went into the next room and searched for her there too, calling out her name. He was starting to panic and didn't like the feeling of dread that was rising in his stomach. Someone wouldn't have come in here and kidnapped her or anything would they? What if she had been kidnapped, he thought, scaring himself in the process. No, she had to be around, and he was going to find her.

Stephanie could hear Chris rustling around and smiled when she knew that he was awake. Tristan tried to reach for Stephanie's glass of water so Stephanie picked her up and went to the fridge to grab one of Tristan's bottles, handing it over to her, which Tristan accepted happily and started drinking from eagerly.

"Want to go see what Daddy's up to?" Stephanie asked. Tristan smiled around the bottle and deciding that was in the affirmative, she set out to find Chris.

Chris was about to tear this whole house apart to find his daughter, and if he didn't find her, he would tear this whole city apart, and if someone took her, then he would tear them apart limb from limb and then torture them until they died a slow, painful death. He looked around the corner, trying to find Tristan, seeing if she possibly got stuck somewhere. What if she had put her hand in a socket? This house wasn't baby-proofed like theirs was. She could've electrocuted herself and she could be lying somewhere, hurting or something. His heart was in his throat now.

"Chris!" Stephanie yelled out.

Chris's eyes widened. Stephanie was home. She must've just gotten in. She would kill him if something had happened with Tristan. She would wrap her pretty, delicate fingers around his neck and squeeze the life out of him. She'd hate him. He was going to lose her; she would never forgive him for losing their daughter. He closed his eyes and felt her presence behind him.

"Chris, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Stephanie, I have something I need to tell you, and I'm so sorry."

Stephanie frowned, "What is it?"

Chris took a deep breath. "I lost Tristan."

"Um, no, you didn't," Stephanie said.

"I did, I fell asleep, woke up, and now she's gone and I don't know where. I lost her."

"Chris, I got home like half an hour ago and Tristan woke up from her nap, she's been with me while I ate my lunch," Stephanie chuckled, "You didn't lose her."

Chris turned around and saw Tristan in Stephanie's arms, holding onto her bottle and looking at him. He sighed in relief and then felt like the world's biggest idiot. Stephanie was now openly laughing at him and he scowled at her.

"It's not funny."

"It's a little bit funny," Stephanie said. "You thought you lost her. In the house. You thought you had lost her."

"Ok, whatever. What are you doing home anyways?"

"I had to eat, and then I have a business dinner tonight and I need a dress."

"Stephanie, do you really have to work?" Chris asked, his voice whiny.

"Yes, it's not just me, Shane has to go too. It's for potential sponsors and since Shane is in vice-president of media, they're going to want him there to go over demographics and everything."

"You've just been working all week and we hardly ever see you," Chris said, walking over to her and kissing her hello.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but my parents really do deserve a vacation. They've hardly ever taken any time off for themselves, and I think this will do them good. Shane and I are old enough now that we can run the company effectively without their help. We've been trained to take over."

"I just don't want to feel like I'm losing you."

"Who could you possibly lose me to?" Stephanie asked. "I love you Chris, you know that."

"Not to a someone, to the company," Chris said, "I don't want to lose you to the company."

"Chris, you aren't losing me," she told him, pressing her free hand to his cheek. "I'm just filling in."

"But you're there all the time."

"I'm sorry Chris," Stephanie said, "I promise we'll take some time off when my parents come back, just the three of us."

"My parents want to see Tristan when we go to Canada next week. I figured that we could fly to Winnipeg from Toronto."

"I don't know Chris, I don't think I'll have the time," Stephanie said, trying to mentally check her calendar.

"But Stephanie, my parents really want to see Tristan."

Chris wasn't liking where this conversation was going. It seemed that Stephanie was working more and more lately. He didn't know why though. Was she trying to get away from him or something? Were they rushing their relationship? He couldn't remember her working this hard before they got together. Before they had gotten together, she had spent more time with Tristan, and now...now she was always working.

"I know, and you can probably go see them without me," Stephanie said. "I'll really try to get out of working, but I can't make any promises."

"Stephanie..." Chris's voice faded out slowly. He didn't know how he wanted to put this. He had felt over the past couple of weeks, like, like Stephanie was pulling away from him. It wasn't a good feeling at all, and for the most part he had stuffed it to the back of his brain, but he finally wanted to confront this feeling in his stomach.

"Yeah," Stephanie said, wiping up some of the milk that had missed Tristan's mouth.

"Can we talk?" he asked seriously.

"Well, I really have to go back to the office. I just came to grab some lunch and some clothes. Is it important?"

He sighed. "I think it is."

"Then go ahead with it," Stephanie said.

"I love you, and I don't think you know how much," he said, squinting his eyes a little because of the magnitude of what he had just said.

Stephanie was confused and took a few steps to sit on the settee that was perched against the wall. "I know how much Chris, but what do you mean?"

He sat down next to her so their knees were just touching. Tristan crawled out of Stephanie's arms, her bottle hanging out of Tristan's mouth, the few teeth she had holding onto it as she laid herself against the plush velvet of the settee. She laid on her back and held her bottle, trying to get out every last drop as she gazed between her parents, her little feet flailing in the air.

"I love you so much that sometimes I don't know what I would do if you ever dumped me."

"I wouldn't dump you," Stephanie said, patting his knee. He put a finger to her lips.

"Shh, let me finish."

"Ok," she mumbled around his fingers.

"Stephanie, I don't want to lose you. I love you so much, and I've loved you for so long that I cannot imagine not loving you. I never hated you, I hated the situation that you had put yourself in. I hated that you were linked to Hunter, and I thought he was bad for you. And he was. And I only recently realized, I hated you with Hunter because I loved you. Or maybe not loved, but I was attracted to you. And then we became friends, and how could I not fall for you when you were such a great person to be around, and you are a great person to be around. I just wanted to be in your presence because you had such a positive affect on me. The night we slept together, I didn't want to take you like that, but I couldn't resist you. You were looking at me with those blue eyes of yours, shining off the light in the most amazing way and I wanted you so bad. And then you went back to Hunter, and a part of me was hurt. When I found out you were having my baby, God, all I wanted to do was jump for joy, I couldn't believe it. I mean, you were having MY baby, carrying something we made inside of you, and it was the most amazing thing ever."

Stephanie looked at him, his words affecting her deeply. His eyes were darting around, but filled with a passion for this speech he was making about her. Maybe she hadn't realized the depth of his feelings, because she had no idea that he could speak about her, her, who was nothing special with this kind of emotion.

"And then when you had Tristan, beyond all the pain I was feeling over not being able to be around her, I hated not being around you either. I was mad at you for keeping her from me, but at the same time, I was mad at myself for loving you still. The night that you told Hunter that Tristan wasn't his, I couldn't sleep, thinking that I might actually get to love you like I'd wanted to."

"Chris, please stop," Stephanie said, her lip quivering. "I love you for loving me so much, but are you trying to say that I don't love you that much either."

Chris looked down, "Sometimes it doesn't feel like you do."

Stephanie closed her eyes. "When I was giving birth to Tristan, the thing I saw, the sight that flashed before my eyes right before I gave birth to her, was you."

Chris looked at her startled, "Huh?"

"You Chris, I wanted you there so badly, but I wouldn't let myself admit it. I came close to telling Hunter a million times in that first month that Tristan was alive. I wrote letter after letter explaining it to him. I cried myself to sleep thinking about you. I love you Chris Jericho, not just because you love me back, or because you are the father of my child. I love you because you're you, because you were the first person to see behind the façade that I put up in front of people. Hunter wanted me to be something I wasn't, and nobody saw that but you. Not to mention you gave me such a special gift. You gave me Tristan, and for that you will always have my heart."

Chris smiled lightly, "But I felt like you were slipping away."

"I just have so much work to do, with my parents being gone. And I haven't gotten to work since Tristan's been born, so I was jumping at the chance. I'm sorry if you felt like I was neglecting you."

"I'm sorry I doubted your love for me." He said, looking down in shame. Tristan looked at him and scrunched her nose, making him smile. He felt Stephanie's fingers lifting his chin up.

"Hey, it's ok, I got to hear the fact that you've been a pathetic love-sick fool over me for a good, long while. I can hold that over your head now."

"You would," he smiled as he leaned over to kiss her.

"Don't ever think I don't love you or I'll slap you."

"Thanks for the warning."


	57. Chapter 57

"There she is!" Loretta called out as they spied Chris and Tristan walking up the walkway to their house. "Oh my God, look how big she is...TED, get out here and come see how big Tristan is!"

Tristan's eyes widened at her grandmother and then looked to Chris, whose arms she was in at the moment. She leaned against him protectively, a little shocked by the outburst of her grandmother. As Loretta kept screaming for her husband, Tristan burst into tears and tried to hide herself inside her father's jacket. Chris laughed even as Tristan was bawling her eyes out. He knew that he should just let her cry it out, she knew he was right there, even though she was obviously afraid.

"Hey beautiful, it's just Grandma," Chris whispered to her.

That didn't stop Tristan from practically crawling inside of his jacket trying to find a safe place in her daddy's arms. Chris put his bag down and lifted Tristan to look at her face. This just caused her to think that Chris was going to leave her with these strangers and her cries turned to loud wails, causing Chris to wince at the pitch. Yeah, she had Stephanie's lungs all right, and probably her voice too, their screeching both made him cringe. Chris brought her back against him, where she clung to him desperately.

"Hey there beautiful, you just need to calm down," Chris said to her, leaning his cheek against her soft, wispy hair. "I'm not going anywhere."

Loretta came over to them, "I didn't mean to make her cry."

"It's ok Mom, she's just starting to go through that phase where she doesn't like to meet new people. It's out of her routine, the doctor said that she would be hesitant around people she didn't see on a regular basis."

"See, this wouldn't happen if you brought her here more often, now would it?"

Chris gave his mom a look, "Mom, I'm sorry, but with our schedules..."

"Speaking of schedules, where's Stephanie?" Loretta asked, looking over Chris's shoulder to see if she was near the car. She didn't see Stephanie and so she looked back to Chris.

"She's still working," Chris said, his voice a little sullen. "But she'll be here tonight."

"Good, I'd love to see her too, especially after what happened between you two," Loretta said knowingly. "What did I tell you about her being what's best for you?"

Chris blushed. Even his own mother had seen it and tried to tell him about it, but he had been so blinded by past hurts that he hadn't see the way that Stephanie looked at him, or the way she spoke to him. Or if he had seen it, he chalked it up to the love she felt for him a friend and nothing more.

"Mom, we've heard enough of this from all our friends."

"But I'm your mother," she reminded him. I'm just happy that your life seems to be coming together. You have a baby, a steady relationship. This is just what I've always wanted for you...to be happy."

"I am happy Mom," Chris told her. "You don't have to worry about me anymore."

"I guess I can focus my attentions on my granddaughter then," Loretta said, trying to get a look at Tristan, whose face was still obscured by Chris's coat.

"Tristan, do you want to say hi to Grandma?"

Tristan whimpered and Chris shifted her so her cheek was resting against his chest. Tristan sought security in Chris's eyes. He smiled gently at her, letting her reach out her little hand, seeking his. Chris took her hand in his bigger one. She gave her first smile in a while. Chris thought she had the most beautiful smile; it didn't hurt that she was his daughter, and he was slightly biased, but her smile really was enchanting.

"There's my girl!" Tristan giggled and pulled away from Chris, back to being a happy little girl. "Can Grandma hold you now?"

Tristan smiled and looked to her grandmother, smiling at her. Chris handed her over to his mother, as Loretta cooed and fussed over her grandchild. Tristan looked to Chris for a little more reassurance and he made a funny face at her, causing her to giggle. Chris rubbed her back a little bit before picking up his bag, and then going to grab Tristan's things from the car.

"Are you just the prettiest girl I've ever seen," Loretta said in a baby voice, Tristan laughing at the funny tone of voice. Ted finally came out of the house and walked over to his wife and granddaughter.

"Who's this? I don't think I recognize you," Ted said good-naturedly. "You can't be my granddaughter, you're much too big."

Tristan tilted her head and looked at him strangely, then seeking out Chris again who was walking over. She pointed to her grandfather, and Chris smiled. "You know Grandpa, Trist. One day he's going to teach you how to play hockey."

Tristan babbled as Loretta took her inside. Chris was almost in the house when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Tristan didn't really like the ringing, so he usually turned it off when she was around, in case she was in a crabby mood and that combination with hearing the phone was sure to cause hours of anger from the little girl. He put the bags in his hands down and grabbed his phone from his pocket, seeing that it was Stephanie.

"Love of my life," he said with a smile.

"Aww, aren't you sweet," her voice said, floating through the phone and into his ears.

"Where are you?"

"I'm working, where else?" she said with a sigh. Her workload did not seem to be decreasing, but only increasing at a rapid pace. He hardly saw her anymore, and it was getting to the point where he was frustrated. He only took solace in the fact that she was none to happy about this either.

"So when are you coming over here? My mom was asking about you."

She sighed, "Hopefully by dinner time. I've been talking to my dad and begging him to let me cut back on my workload, but apparently he took mind-altering drugs while he was in Europe and thinks that means I want more responsibility."

"I miss you," Chris whispered, taking a few steps from the open door of the house.

"I miss you too, and I see you everyday, that's what's so sad," Stephanie said, sighing herself. It did no use though. Even Shane's schedule was heavy now. Stephanie figured that Vince was trying to condition them to take over the company fairly soon.

"Yeah, but you probably see me for all of two minutes, or when I'm already asleep," he said.

"I know, and I'm sorry, you do know that this isn't what I want right?" Stephanie replied, hoping that he understood. She didn't want another fiasco like last week. For Chris to doubt her love, it broke her heart to think about it. She loved him so much, and to have that questioned really put his feelings on the table.

"I know," he answered. "I just wish that you didn't have to be working so much. It really makes it hard to be with you when you're hardly around."

"What are you saying Chris?" Stephanie asked, not liking this sudden turn of direction this conversation had gone.

"What I--" Chris was about to answer when he heard Tristan crying from inside the house. Checking his watch quickly, he saw that Tristan was due for her lunch. "Steph, it's time for--"

"Trist's lunch, I know," she replied. "Damn it, I don't want to be here! I want to be there with you and my daughter!"

"Our daughter," Chris corrected.

"Yeah, but you get the idea. I'll let you go though, so you can feed her or whatever."

"Ok, can we talk later though Steph?" Chris said.

"Yeah, I think we need to talk." Stephanie said too. "I hate this."

"I hate it too," he said, his voice relaying his sadness. "Tristan misses you too."

"Oh Chris, don't tug on the heartstrings anymore, you're killing me over here," Stephanie said with a sigh. "I miss her so much."

"I'll keep her up later so you can spend some time with her."

"Thanks Chris, I love you."

"Love you too, I better go though, Tristan wants me."

"Ok, bye."

Chris ended the call and stared at his phone for a moment. It seemed that the only time he was ever getting to speak to Stephanie was over the phone. She would get home so late and then leave so early. Not only did he miss her, but he worried about her. Was she eating? How much sleep did she actually get? He hated not knowing, and he felt like she was being torn right out from under him. If this was the way it was going to be, he didn't know how bad it would be later on in their relationship, when she actually took over control of the company.

He went back inside to help his mother with Tristan. He kept glancing at the clock, hoping that Stephanie would be there soon. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up of her being there early. She hadn't been early to anything in weeks. She wasn't even fashionably late, she'd usually come running in, apologizing for being late, and then saying ten words to him before having to get back to work, or going to bed. It was really no way to live.

He sat down on the couch later, Tristan playing on her blanket on the ground. He watched her for a few moments, his eyes diverted away from the television. He'd rather watch Tristan anyways, nowadays it was the only glimpse he seemed to ever get of Stephanie. He didn't notice that his mother had come to sit down next to him.

"She's so big," Loretta said, hardly believing it at all. The last time she had seen her, she had been this tiny little thing who couldn't even sit up on her own, let alone crawl and stand herself up.

"I know," Chris said, tearing his eyes off of her for a moment to speak with his mother. "She seems to get bigger by the day. We're constantly shopping for clothes that will fit her. I like Steph take care of that because she likes the whole shopping thing."

"I don't think I've gotten to tell you how happy I am that you and Stephanie started dating."

"Thanks," he said with a small smile. "I think it was about time actually."

"I knew that she was the one for you, a mother can tell these things," she said, patting his knee. "So when are you going to make all of this legal?"

"Mom, don't rush it, we haven't even been dating for very long, and who knows if it's actually going to work out."

"I don't see why it shouldn't. You two already live together and have a baby girl. You should just make it legit already."

"You've already gotten what you've wanted out of me Mom, what more could you want?" Chris teased, knowing that the main thing his mother had wanted out of him was grandchildren, and he already gave her that in the form of Tristan.

"I just want to see you settled down is all."

"I am settled down, I have Tristan, and I have Stephanie. You should see me Mom, I'm hardly out late anymore, no more drinking of partying, I'm completely reformed, I'm the quintessential family man now."

"Well, I stand corrected then...so when is Stephanie going to get here?"

"Whenever she can."

"That doesn't exactly sound so confident," Loretta asked, concerned about her son. Even though he was a grown man with his own family now, he would always be her little boy, and she would always worry about him, until the day the Lord took her.

"I don't know Mom," he said, glad to have someone to talk to about this. His mother could shed light on the subject, and not make him feel like a loser at the same time. "She's constantly working. Ever since her father went on vacation, she's had these outrageous hours, and she's barely around. I know that she doesn't want to be working so much, but she doesn't really have any other choice."

"Has she tried to cut back her load?"

"Yeah, she's tried to cut back, find places where she isn't needed, and it's still a lot of time. Her brother even took over some of the duties, and she's still constantly over there."

"This is exactly like when it was hockey season and your father would never be home. I was afraid he'd miss everything about you and you would only know him as the man that was sometimes around," she said with a chuckle.

"What did you do?"

"You just have to take it as it comes. There's not really much you can do if this is a responsibility that she needs to take. You did know how much work she had to do beforehand?"

"Yeah, her family owns the company, and she's set to run it one day, maybe soon."

"Then I think you just need to accept that and find a way to live around that. I'm sure there are some things she can do to make more time, and that you can do to make more time. It's about the compromise Chrissy. Maybe you still have to learn that because before Stephanie, how many serious girlfriends did you have?"

Chris made a face, "None Mom, I had no serious girlfriends before Stephanie."

"Ok, let me go make dinner, is there anything that I can make for Tristan that she can eat?"

"We still give her baby food, but if you're making something like mashed potatoes or something like mac and cheese, she can eat that."

"I'll make a quick run to the store then," she said, standing up.

"Mom, you don't have to do that," Chris said, shaking his head, "We brought plenty of baby food."

"It's fine, you hardly get to visit, the least I can do is make things that she can eat. I want to spoil her rotten."

"I have a feeling this is only the beginning."

"Have more kids and I can disperse the spoiling," Loretta winked before she grabbed her purse off the side table. She grabbed her car keys and walked outside and to her car. As she was about to climb in, a cab pulled up in front of the house and a harried-looking Stephanie rushing out, briefcase in hand as she quickly paid the driver, not requesting any change. She looked and saw Chris's mother standing there with a smile.

"Loretta, hi," she said, cheerily, but Loretta could tell she was exhausted. She looked exhausted too. Her business suit was crumpled and her hair a little mussed.

"Stephanie, it's so good to see you," Loretta said, coming over and giving her a friendly hug. "Chris said you wouldn't be here until tonight."

"Well, I managed to get away from work early, actually I snuck out, and caught an earlier flight. So here I am. I was missing my family way too much," she admitted, "Are Chris and Tristan inside?"

"Yeah, they're in the living room, feel free to go in."

"Thanks," Stephanie said, giving her another hug before proceeding to the door.

Chris was sitting on the floor, playing with some blocks that Tristan had been playing with. She was finding it fascinating the way her father could actually build things with the blocks. Right now he had about seven of them stacked up each other. Tristan looked up at him and then swiped at the blocks, knocking them all down with a giggle. Her laugh was infectious as Chris laughed too.

"Tristan, that wasn't very nice, I was trying to build a tower."

She babbled to him, but then stopped abruptly as she looked at something over his shoulder. Knowing that she didn't have the best attention span, he let her crawl past him as he went back to the blocks. She was happily talking in her own language, and he just listened to her, thinking about Stephanie. Little did he know that Tristan had actually spotted Stephanie over Chris's shoulder and was now crawling to her. Stephanie scooped her up and kissed her as Tristan gave her the biggest smile of her young life, proudly displaying the teeth currently growing in Tristan's mouth.

"Trist, come back here and play with me," Chris said, becoming bored. He turned his head to look to where Tristan had gone and caught Stephanie's eyes instead. He whispered out of shock, "Steph..."

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, standing up, "I mean, I know what you're doing here, but I don't know what you're doing here right now. It thought you couldn't get away until later."

"I snuck out," she shrugged. "I said I was going to use the bathroom during a meeting and just left."

"You shouldn't have done that, that's work."

"Yes, and you said we needed to talk, and we do," she told him, sitting down. "I saw your mom leave, where's your dad?"

"He went out with a friend," Chris said, "House to ourselves."

"Good," she said, patting the seat next to her, "Care to sit?"

He sat down next to her and gave her a soft kiss, relishing her lips since it seemed like forever since he had actually kissed her, not just a peck on the cheek. She pulled away with a contented sigh. He gave her a smile and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She leaned forward and kissed him once again, a little firmer.

"I missed you," he told her, his voice almost breaking.

"I missed you too."

"Stephanie, I can't live like this anymore," Chris said quickly, pulling away. He hadn't meant to just blurt that out, but it was true. He missed her so much, and it was killing him not being around her as much.

"I'm sorry," she said, ducking her head. "I hate it too. I just want to spend time with you and with Tristan, and I can't, and it's killing me."

"What should we do?" he asked.

"I don't know, honestly," she told him. "I'm trying to balance so many things right now and it's crazy."

"Steph, it's really hard, and my mom says we have to compromise, but I don't know if I can if this is going to be my life from now on. Barely seeing you, hardly talking to you in person, and it's even worse that you can't be around Tristan."

Stephanie frowned and her eyes welled up with tears. "It's hard on me too you know. Do you think I like that I'm stuck at the office, that I'm constantly running in and out of your lives, but what am I supposed to do Chris?"

"I don't know what we're going to do Stephanie, all I know is that I can't take it much longer."

"Are you saying you want to break up?"


	58. Chapter 58

"No!"

Chris didn't want her getting the wrong idea about the two of them. He loved her more than anybody in the world, save for Tristan. The last thing he wanted was to lose her before he even really got to have her. Stephanie looked incredibly relieved to hear his response, letting a breath out slowly.

"I'm really glad to hear that," she told him, her tone reinforcing that belief.

"I wouldn't give you up even if I was being forced to," he said to her. "I just need a change from all this work. And so do you. I'm worried about you Steph."

"Why?"

"Do you eat regularly?"

Stephanie regarded him guiltily, "I eat when I can."

"See. This is what I mean when I say that I can't live like this anymore. I'm so worried about you all the time, and just thinking that you're not eating is killing me."

She kissed him suddenly, leaning across the couch. She couldn't believe he was so concerned about her, but he want and surprised her by caring so much. It was a different kind of caring that surprised her so. It wasn't concerned like she would get mugged or killed, or any of those base concerns that people had for those they loved, he was concerned that she wasn't eating regularly. Chris was just surprised that she had kissed him with such passion.

"What was that for?" he asked as she broke away.

"Just because you care," she said. "And you're right...about everything. About me working too much, and this not being much of a life. You're just right about it all, and I have to do something about it before you DO want to break up with me?"

He kissed her again, teasing her with his tongue. "Wild horses couldn't keep me away."

"Is that so?" she said, her voice teasing.

"It is so," he said back to her. "Besides, you kind of carried my child for nine months, gave birth to her and co-raise her, so I'm sensing I have some sort of obligation to you."

"Not the obligation to stay with me though."

"Oh, well, in my own mind, I have that obligation to be with you because of that. Can you imagine how mad Tristan would get at me if I broke up with you? She'd kick me in the face, and then she'd take everything she's learned from you and slap me right across the face."

Stephanie laughed and pressed her hand to his cheek. "Never leave me. Even if things get so crazy that I never see you and we only have a relationship on the phone...just, never leave me."

"I can't, I'm intrinsically tied to you for an eternity," he replied. "Tristan, did you know that you made me always have to stay with Mommy?"

Tristan looked up at him and smiled, though at what she didn't know. Then her eyes went back to her blocks and the pretty picture books on her activity blanket and she whined, reaching her hands for the blanket. Stephanie handed Tristan to Chris, who was closer to the blanket, and he set her down on the floor, watching as she crawled over and started to amuse herself by flipping carelessly through a fuzzy picture book. He turned back to Stephanie and pulled her in his arms. She settled herself against his side, relishing in the warmth that was emanating off of him. He ran his fingers through her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"How much have you slept this week?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know, 3 hours a night," she said, trying to mentally calculate. She knew that it wasn't a lot.

"Ok, from here until we go home, you are not allowed to do any work, you are not allowed to answer your cell phone, your only job is to relax and eat, and get yourself to being a normal, functional human."

"But--"

"Nope, I'm not going to have any of that," Chris said, going into what they playfully referred to as "father mode." "If you want to do any work, then you have to clear it through me, understood?"

"Fine...you take such good care of me," she said, snuggling herself into him more, finding her exhaustion was catching up to her. Plane trips tend to do that, making your exhaustion double in its size.

"Somebody around here has to," he answered, moving his hand to rub her back. "You look like you're about to pass out, how about I take you upstairs and you can take a nap?"

"I want to stay here with you," Stephanie mumbled, closing her eyes. Chris let her sit there, cuddled against him until he knew that she was asleep. He looked to Tristan, who was still playing by herself, talking to her stuffed animal and chewing on the edge of the book, drool covering the entire corner of the book. Chris picked up Stephanie and carried her upstairs, taking off her blazer and shoes and laying her on top of the covers. He planted a kiss to her cheek before going back downstairs quickly, checking to make sure Tristan was still playing, which she was, but this time she was chewing on her stuffed animal and not the book.

Chris went over to her and took the toy out of her mouth, "Tristan, we don't eat our toys, we play with them. Do you want your teething ring?"

She made a face and he kissed her cheek, wiping the drool off of her face with a nearby tissue. She tried to wipe it off herself, but then made a yucky face and tried to wipe it on Chris's face, which he "ewwed" and subsequently made her giggle and swat at his face a few more times, making Chris grab her and start tickling her, much to her delight.

"Hey Trist, you know what?" She looked up at him. "We should do something nice for Mommy. Don't you think that would be a good idea?"

Tristan didn't answer in coherent sentences explaining in detail how much she would love to do something for Stephanie, but judging from the smile she got when he mentioned "Mommy," he figured she would be up for the idea. He picked her up, and went into the kitchen, leaving a note for his mom, explaining they had just gone out for a little while and that Stephanie was asleep upstairs.

Chris took Tristan to the car and strapped her into her car-seat before taking off for the nearest florist. He hoped they were still around, he hadn't actually been there since his senior prom, which was many years ago. Lucky for him, it still was, and he and Tristan picked out a lovely bouquet of roses, tulips, violets, and lilies (Chris just picked whatever Tristan happened to point at, at the moment, prompting such an odd bouquet). Then they went to the mall, and had a difficult time trying to compromise on what to buy her. Tristan kept wanting to look at the toys (Chris gave in and got her a Winnie-the-Pooh toy, but only if she promised her first word wasn't going to be "pooh"), but he had to find something appropriate, but it was always hard shopping for Stephanie. She never wanted anything.

By the time they got home, it was starting to get dark and when they walked in the house, the unmistakable smell of macaroni and cheese was wafting through the house. Chris almost floated into the kitchen, but managed to set the things for Stephanie down on the coffee table before mindlessly wandering in the direction of the delicious smells. Ted was sitting at the counter, talking to Loretta as she cooked and they both smiled widely when Chris and Tristan walked in.

"Her cheeks are all rosy from the cold," Loretta said, looking at Tristan.

"Nah, her cheeks are always this rosy, aren't they Trist? Because you have to be the cutest baby around don't you?" Chris said, pinching her cheek a little, to which she hit his hand.

"Did you want me to make her a warm bottle or something?" Ted asked. "If she's cold."

"I guess she could use a bottle, thanks Dad," Chris said, sitting next to the chair his father had just gotten out of. "Isn't this the life Trist? You just sit here and everyone does everything for you. Now if only you guys were there when she needed a diaper change earlier."

He set Tristan down on the counter facing the kitchen and she watched in fascination as Ted and Loretta moved around the kitchen. She leaned back against Chris as he leaned his head against her, letting her play with his hair, gently reprimanding her whenever she pulled it. He was so into paying attention to Tristan, he didn't feel Stephanie's presence until she wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his shoulder blade.

"Hey, you're up," he said, turning to her.

"Yeah, I've been up since a long time ago. I was talking to your dad, and then your mom suggested I take a nice bath to relax since I've been working so hard, so that's where I've been. Where have YOU been? I woke up expecting to see you and Tristan, and your mom said you left."

"Yeah, we did, you wanna know why?" he said, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have choices, but Tristan had the best idea and I had to go along with it."

"Trist, what was this wonderful idea that you had?"

"Beooihwer shoere wobuorje," Tristan said, sticking her tongue out a little.

"Wow, I think someone needs to join Mensa," Stephanie said with a laugh. "So do I get to know, or am I going to be kept in the dark?"

"Come with me then," Chris said, getting out of his chair. "Mom, we'll be in the living room, call us for dinner?"

"Sure sweetie," Loretta said, smiling, not just at her son, but at the entire picture. He looked right, with his daughter in his arms, and a woman he wanted to be with by his side. When they were out of the room, she turned to her husband. "Did you ever realistically think you'd see Christopher with a family?"

Ted thought for a moment. "Of course, I just figured that he wouldn't have changed."

"You think he's changed?"

"I think he's grown up since he's had Tristan, yes," Ted answered. "I think it's been good for him. You know how he was before. How many times have I wanted to back-hand him because he was too crass?"

"Oh Ted, you know you never would've hit him," Loretta laughed. "Stephanie is right for him, I can tell."

"You say that about everyone."

"No, I mean it this time. I saw it when they first showed up with Tristan. You don't just have a child with someone that you don't have feelings for. I mean, who does that? And to have a child with that person, that's someone you should be with, don't you think? I mean, it's not like Stephanie ever wanted to give up Tristan, or get rid of her. Because she loves our son, and I think she's the best thing to walk into his life."

"I think he knows that Retta, I think he knows."

Chris handed Stephanie the bouquet of flowers and she laughed as she took it. "This is the oddest bouquet I've ever seen."

"Tristan picked it out. I can't say she's not eclectic."

"Well thank you Tristan, for the wonderful flowers," Stephanie said, kissing her daughter's cheek. "You have weird tastes, but at least you know how to get Daddy to pay, so I have to commend you. Next, you'll have to learn how to get the credit card off of him. Don't worry, I'll teach you."

"Very funny, but Trist, you can take Mommy's credit card, she's richer than Daddy."

Tristan just looked at them, and then went to reach for the flowers. Stephanie let her hold one of the violets and she held it in her hand, staring at it as Chris went to get Stephanie's gift. He handed it to her and she smiled, unwrapping it and seeing a box that a necklace was usually held in.

"We didn't know what to get you, but," he looked down at Tristan and took the violet away from her mouth before she sampled it, "we thought that you might like this, so here you go!"

Tristan lifted her arms like she was surprised as Stephanie opened the box. She was happy to find a beautiful locket. She smiled up at Chris and he opened it up. Inside was a picture of Tristan. Stephanie "awwwed" and thanked Tristan, granting them both kisses, one of whom tried to wipe it off.

"Just so you know, you owe me one picture of Tristan, because that was my own picture from my wallet," he told her. "But we thought we'd show you how much we appreciate and love you, right Trist?"

She smiled and Stephanie bit her lip. "That's so sweet, but I should be getting you something for putting up with me the last few weeks."

"Your presence is all we needed."

"No, don't say something sweet like that," Stephanie said, truly touched by his words. "You're being too good to me."

"Yeah, but I'm Chris Jericho, I'm bound to be charming all the time."

She hugged him, and then took Tristan from him and put her into her portable playpen. Walking back over to Chris, she extended her arms out to him, and he took them, letting her lift him up. When they were in standing positions, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, letting her head fall against his chest. His arms instinctively went around her, one of his hands tussling her hair a little bit.

"I love you," she mumbled.

"No work for the weekend right?"

"No work...and on Monday, I'm going to talk to my dad about cutting back my work schedule. I don't want to be like him. I don't want to miss out on my kid's life. Maybe it worked for him, but it doesn't work for me."

"That's a good point to bring up to him," Chris said, leaning his cheek against the top of her head, the smell of her shampoo wafting up at him, making her smell delightful. He loved this woman to the very hilt of loving someone.

"Yeah, and that way, I can spend more time with my family...you are my family, right Chris?"

"Yes, I'm your family, and Tristan is your family, and we're all a family."

"I like being a family with you."

"The feeling goes both ways...it's why I needed to talk to you. I don't want to lose that family that we've made."

"You're too sweet Chris. When did you get to be so sweet?"

"I'm pretty sure it was around the time this wonderful girl came into my life. She's really cute, and sweet, and she's got this smile that you can't help but love. Doesn't hurt that she kind of looks like me either."

"When you found out about Trist, what did you think, honestly?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah, honestly."

"I was freaked out. I was not ready at the time, it was a complete shock. We had only done it that one time, well, one time as in one night, it wasn't the only time we had, well, you know during that night, but it still freaked me out. Considering you were still married, and I was not father material."

"And now?"

"Now...I'm just someone's dad and it's completely natural," he shrugged. "I'm so used to Tristan being around that I just can't imagine not having her around. She's part of my life, hell, she is my life, and that's changed me, for the better, or whatever, it's just changed me."

The rest of the weekend was spent with Stephanie and Chris practically clinging to each other. Stephanie kept up her promise of not working, not even answering her phone, instead letting Chris answer and say that she was busy. Busy she was, tending to Tristan and spending time with Chris and his parents. She actually felt like a normal human being again, functioning in a nice environment where she wasn't stressed.

Of course, the stress was back on the minute they arrived at the next show. Chris was looking at a schedule, Tristan was getting cranky, trying to climb out of her stroller, and Stephanie was on the phone with a stage technician who was trying to find something in one of the trucks. She angrily hung up the phone and looked to Chris.

"I'm going to talk with my father right now, will you be in the locker room?" she asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'll be in there, if I'm not, I'm probably just hanging out with people."

"Ok, you take Tristan?"

"Yeah, good luck with your dad."

"Thanks, see you in a while," she told him, leaning in a little bit to kiss him. He kissed her back quickly and then started pushing Tristan's stroller quickly down the hall like they were racing, which Tristan loved. Stephanie straightened out her blouse and turned the corner to find her father's office. Upon locating it, she knocked lightly as she opened the door. "Daddy?"

Vince looked up, "Stephanie, it's good to see you. Chris wouldn't let me talk to you all weekend, you must have been working hard."

"No, I wasn't, I was actually taking a break from work, which is leading me to my next subject. I need to lighten my work schedule."

"But Stephanie, you're needed here."

"I know Dad, but I'm neglecting my family, and I hate that. I hate being away from Tristan, and I hate being apart from Chris. I need to cut back or I'm going to miss out on my daughter's life."

"But don't you want Tristan to have a secure future?" Vince asked.

"Yes, of course I do Dad, but I'm also her mother, and I want to be there for her while she is growing up. I don't want to miss out on her first steps or her first words. I don't want to be an absent person in her life."

"I worked hard when you were younger, and it all worked out with us."

"Daddy, did you ever stop to think that I missed you when I was little? Why do you think that Shane and I entered the company? You know Shane didn't really want to work for the company, but he wanted to be around you, he wanted you to notice him and be proud of him, and that's what I wanted too, because you didn't notice it when we were little."

"But I was building this company for you, so you would never have to worry about money again. I wanted what was best for you in the long run."

"And it worked out Daddy, it did! But I'm not you, and I can't pretend that it's not killing me inside that I can't be around my family. I have to take a step back."

"I can't do this Stephanie, you are needed here. You are one of the co-owners of this company. You bear the McMahon name, and you are entitled to run this company."

"But Dad! I can't do that and have a family, and it has to come to a compromise!" She was yelling now. Vince didn't seem to understand where she was coming from. Should she have expected him to? Her father hadn't been around much when she was growing up, but she had come to understand that he was trying to do something that would help her in her life, that would make things easier for her. He had succeeded, but he didn't know that sometimes, she felt bitter that he hadn't been there for particular parts of her childhood.

"Stephanie, you have to work here, the company is going to be yours someday!"

"I don't want the damn company, I want my family!"

"Stephanie McMahon!" he said, his tone harsh, and steady.

"Daddy, I cannot accept this. If you don't lower my work schedule, I'm quitting."

"There's no way that you are quitting, you are a McMahon damn it, and McMahon's don't quit. You are going to continue working for this company so that when I retire you are set to take over for me. This is what we're working towards Stephanie. You don't see your brother coming to me and crowing about the work."

"Shane doesn't have a child! God Dad, you're so insensitive, I QUIT!"

She stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. It was only then she realized what she had said and the magnitude of it. Did she really just quit the company? She couldn't believe she had done that. She had just quit her life or what had been her life for a long time.

She sunk against the door as the tears swelled in her eyes.

What had she done?


	59. Chapter 59

Stephanie felt horrible; after picking herself up from the floor she found herself walking around aimlessly. She couldn't go back to her father, she had been right and she was much too stubborn to just go and talk to him if he would even talk to her, considering he was where she got her own stubbornness.

She made her way to Chris's dressing room...how she didn't know, and she would never find out, but there she was nonetheless. She opened the door slowly, seeing Chris and Tristan playing with some toys on the floor. Chris must've heard her because he was looking up at her with a smile. It faded as he sensed something was amiss with his girlfriend. He patted Tristan's back and then stood up, facing Stephanie. His look was concerned, and she at least thanked God that she had Chris to fall back on.

"You've been crying," he said, running his palm over her tear-stained cheek, that was still retaining some of the moisture, transferring from her face to Chris's hand. He held up his hand, as if to show her that she was crying, lest she not realized it, but she just nodded despondently. "I'm guessing it didn't go well."

"It didn't," she confirmed.

"So your dad wouldn't give you any time off?" Chris noted sadly. He was hoping that he would comply because he hated his current lifestyle, but if he had to deal with it to be with Stephanie, then he would deal with it to be with her.

"Yeah, he said that he was preparing me to take over, so I couldn't get time off, and that Tristan would understand when she got older, just like I did."

"Ok," he said, nodding while thinking, trying very hard to stay supportive. "So we'll adapt around your schedule, and Tristan and I can visit you at work so you don't miss out on anything. We'll work something out. If we shift things around here and there, we can manage."

Her lip trembled and he voice was shaky as she spoke, "That's not necessary actually."

"You don't want us to visit, well geez, talk about getting the shaft," Chris teased, trying not to feel insulted by her answer, though he was a little insulted. She didn't want a visit from him and their daughter, that was a slap to the face if there ever was one. He looked up at her, trying to hide the hurt in his eyes, but he didn't have to when he saw that she wasn't laughing or even glaring at him, but instead had tears in her eyes, making them look like puddles of clear blue.

"I quit," she said softly.

Chris's head was thrown back, his face full of question. He had to strain his ears in order to hear her, but he couldn't have heard her correctly, surely she hadn't...Stephanie couldn't just quit, could she? She was a part of the company, a HUGE part of the company. How did someone quit who was going to have ownership of the company. It didn't make sense to him, and his brain was muddled with the implications of her quitting, but he had to override that and partake in the conversation at hand, and find out some actual answers to calm the cacophony in his brain.

"Excuse me?" Chris needed clarification badly, and that was the best he could come up with at the moment. He actually needed about fifty more times of clarification.

She didn't know if she could say it again. Maybe if she didn't say it, it wouldn't be true, but she had to face the truth sometime. She had mad the decision herself, sure, her father had practically pushed her to such drastic measures, but she was the one who had uttered the words. "I quit."

"Steph, no..."

"I did."

"Don't worry, we'll go undo it," he said, reassuring her, putting a hand on her shoulder and rubbing gently.

Instead, she fell into his arms, clinging to him, it took a lot for her to say the next words, but she managed, "I won't take it back."

"Stephanie, you can't quit. You love the business!"

"I love you and Tristan, I love you two more."

"No, we'll go fix it. It'll be ok gorgeous."

"I'm not going to talk to him," she told him again, composing herself and pulling away to look him straight in the eyes so that he would get the point. "He was being unreasonable and I'm not going to take that. He knows I have a family, he claims to love his granddaughter, but he's practically denying her me, her mother."

"But you didn't have to quit over it," he reasoned.

"What else could I have done Chris? He left me with no choice. I told him I would quit and he still said no. I had to follow through, a McMahon does not back down from a challenge."

"But quitting?"

"So I'm out of a job."

"Well, I think we'll get by," Chris joked, trying to make her feel better about the situation. Truthfully, he didn't know if would be all right, but they weren't hard up for money, it was more Stephanie's well-being that he was worried about.

"We will," she said. "And I'll be around more."

"So there is a bright side to all of this," he smiled. "We'll be glad to have you around more."

"If you had been there, would you have stopped me?" she asked, out of the blue.

"Only if you wanted me to," Chris answered immediately, knowing that's what she wanted to hear.

"I don't know...I'm an idiot though. A huge idiot who doesn't think before they speak. I need to learn some self-control!"

"Ok, calm down," he said, nudging his nose against hers. "We've gone through about twenty emotions in the last few minutes, and we need to conserve some for later."

Stephanie sighed and looked deeply into Chris's eyes, "It's going to be all right, isn't it Chris?"

"It'll be fine. It's not like you're walking away from the business entirely. I'm a wrestler, and you're still a McMahon. You didn't get disowned did you?"

"No, I don't think that occurred any time in the conversation," she said with a small smile. "I don't feel like hanging around."

"Well, I have a match tonight..." Chris looked undecided, like he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay here or not. He wanted to be with Stephanie because she was obviously still upset, but he hadn't quit his job, so he actually did have to go out there and do his job.

"Go to your match, I'm not going to let you lose your job over me," Stephanie said. "I'll take Tristan back to the hotel and we'll hang out there until you get back, I just don't think that I want to be around here right now."

"Ok, if that's what you want," Chris nodded. "But only if you want to."

"I want to Chris, do you think that you could get a ride back to the hotel?"

He kissed her, "I'll be fine, you just go relax and get pretty for me so when I come back later I can be wowed by how you look...not that you don't wow me now, but you know what I mean, don't you gorgeous?" He winked at her playfully.

"As long as you look just as good," she answered.

"Well that's not a stretch, since we both know where all the looks are in this family."

"Yeah, with Tristan," Stephanie said. Tristan looked up at the sound of her name, and crawled over to her parents, trying to stand up, grabbing onto Chris's jeans for help. Instead, he picked her up himself and handed her over to Stephanie. "So I'll see you at the hotel later?"

"Yeah, I'll be back there as soon as I'm done."

"Ok," she said, picking up Tristan's diaper bag and then going over to put Tristan in her stroller. She was just about out the door, Chris pulling out his tights to change in, and she looked over at him for a second, then took a step, but decided to look back again.

"Chris?"

"Yeah?" he asked, glancing back at her.

"It will be all right won't it? I mean, things won't change between us now?"

Chris's eyes furrowed as he tried to understand what she was trying to say. "What do you mean about changing?"

"I mean...this won't affect how you see me? This won't change your feelings for me in any way?"

"Why would it?"

"I had power," she said weakly. It wasn't that she thought Chris was with her for the power, but she felt the need to put that out there. If Chris didn't want to be with her, then she didn't want him to feel obligated. Things had changed drastically over the past couple of hours, and he might not want to be saddled down by her, now that she had nothing else, no work or anything.

"So?" he shrugged, honestly not getting the point that she was trying to make.

"Well, I'm not...I'm just a person now."

"You will never be just a person," Chris chuckled. "You're Stephanie McMahon, I don't think I need to say anything more than that. But if you want me to, you're my girlfriend and the mother of my kid, so you're more than just a person."

She smiled, then smirked. "Just making sure, wouldn't want to be with a guy if he was just in it for the power."

"No, I'm in it for the sex too, don't forget the sex," Chris told her.

"In front of this impressionable little girl," Stephanie chastised, shaking her head. "If her first word is sex, I'm going to hold you personally responsible."

"If it's credit card, I'm looking straight at you."

Stephanie laughed openly at that as Chris came over to give them a parting kiss. When she was out the door and safely down the hall, Chris dashed back into his locker room and pulled on his tights. He was doing it so fast he put them on backwards on the first try, and had to take them off again to put them on the right way. He was hopping trying to pull them on quicker. When he finally had them right, he put on his boots hastily, forgoing the tying for now, instead just shoving the shoelaces into the tops and walked out of the room, clearly on a mission.

He had to talk to Vince.

Yeah, Stephanie had said her decision was final, and that she wasn't going to budge on the issue, but Chris wasn't dumb, this had to be hurting her. And like many times before, Vince was at the helm of her current crisis. Stephanie didn't have to know that he came to see Vince, this could just be his own thing. Sure, it was about Stephanie, but this was just boyfriendly concern on his part. Even though he was more than a boyfriend, he felt like he was more than a boyfriend, even though he wasn't. There should be a better term for it. Why was he even thinking about the status of his relationship with Stephanie? It wasn't like they were in trouble. SHE was in trouble, because he knew that she needed to work. Stephanie liked to work, she liked to be busy, and thinking about her sitting at home, doing nothing, she was going to go crazy soon, THEN he might have to worry about the status of their relationship.

Chris walked into Vince's office, unannounced and probably unwelcome. The door slammed shut behind him and if Vince hadn't noticed him before, he sure did now. Chris didn't look angry, but you could see that he wasn't in a good mood. Vince knew why. Why else, for what reason would he be here, except for Stephanie?

"Chris, if this is about--"

"It is about Stephanie, but it's not just about her."

"I don't think this is the time nor the place to discuss this."

"Then when IS the time Vince? When are you going to get the chance to pencil in your daughter into your schedule?"

"I think you're out of line," Vince said sharply. Chris was undeterred. He loved Stephanie and to that end, he would speak on her behalf when he could. Stephanie didn't NEED him to defend her or even to protect her most of the time, but if she needed him, like now, he would be there for her, no words necessary.

"I'm just getting started Vince."

"She's the one who quit," Vince said, as if that was just supposed to justify everything. Since the words had been uttered from Stephanie's mouth, then surely it was only her own fault. Think again, Chris thought.

"Because you left her no other choice. You bullied her into it."

"She had a choice. I didn't tell her she had to quit."

"Vince, we have a nine-month old daughter, she needs Stephanie." Chris thought that tactic would work. Surely Vince loved his granddaughter enough to see that. Vince did love Tristan, but he was stubborn, just like Stephanie, it was funny though, how he could love it in Stephanie and hate it in Vince. But Chris didn't really have any love lost for Vince.

"Her would not take her away from Tristan."

"Yes it does! It takes her away from Tristan and from me too."

"And so the real reason comes out." Vince's tone was entirely too smug for Chris's liking.

Chris narrowed his eyes at him, insulted that Vince would think he was here for purely selfish reasons. It almost degraded his love for his daughter, and he loved Tristan unconditionally. Maybe Vince didn't know that kind of love, but Chris put Tristan before himself, and he made sure that he was there for her as much as possible, unlike Vince when Stephanie was a child.

"Now I think you're out of line," Chris said, his tone bordering on dangerous. He, too, was stubborn, it just took him a little longer to display such stubbornness. Stephanie was like a rocket with a short fuse, but when she exploded, it was brilliant.

"Am I?"

"You told me to take care of your daughter, I'm taking care of her. You were working her too hard, she was barely eating!" Now Chris was showing that anger, that his fuse had been lit, if you could tell by the vein popping out in his neck.

"I'm training her to take over the company."

"But you're working her into the ground. I love your daughter Vince--"

"Enough to sleep with her while she was still married?"

"That is none of your business!" Chris snapped.

"You took advantage of her vulnerability."

"I did no such thing. What we did was a mutual decision. Was it the wrong one? Maybe it was, but I don't regret it because I love your daughter. Whether or not being with her back then is inconsequential because it happened, and we can't change that. But I'm with her now, I love her, and I will not simply take this and watch her waste away because you won't give her a day off every now and then."

"She did get days off."

"When?"

"Look, she's the one who wanted to work so much," Vince said, even though Chris knew that wasn't the truth at all.

"So much so that she would sneak out of a meeting to come see me and Tristan at my parent's house. That makes a whole lot of sense that she would have to sneak out to leave."

"Chris, you don't understand the management of this business, and I wouldn't expect you to."

"Because I'm a wrestler?"

"Partly."

"Doesn't even matter Vince. What matters here is Stephanie and how haggard she's been lately, how much I've missed her, and how much Tristan, the granddaughter you claim to love, misses her too, and you can't seem to see that! I don't know what it would take to get through to you. Stephanie doesn't want to be you Vince! She doesn't want to watch her child grow up from afar, maybe you could do it, but Stephanie can't!"

"You think I liked it?"

"I don't care what you think Vince, all I care about is Stephanie and Tristan, and since your name was not on that list, I could give a damn what you think."

Chris stormed out of the office then. He might not have gotten Stephanie her job back, but maybe, maybe he had gotten Vince's mind in the right place. Maybe he would realize that Stephanie was worth more than the company, that Stephanie should come first, and if she was burned out, there was a reason.

But then again, it was Vince.


	60. Chapter 60

Stephanie sat on the floor with Tristan, playing with her toys on her activity blanket. It had been four days since Stephanie had quit the company. They weren't the four longest days of her life or anything, but time did seem to drag a little bit. Not enough to be a concern for her, or for Chris, but it was a concern in the long run. She hated being stagnant. Stagnant was not her thing at all, and to suddenly, very suddenly have nothing to do, it was a shock to her system.

Luckily she did have a family in Chris and Tristan. She couldn't even imagine how lonely it would be if she didn't have these two. She might be on the brink of insanity if that were the case. With Chris, and especially Tristan in her life, she had something to do, someone to think about, someone to care about and take care of. Tristan needed her, she was her mother, and that reminded her of why she had quit in the first place. It wasn't all for nothing after all.

"Chris, come in here!" Stephanie yelled out to Chris, who was watching a hockey game in the other room. Unfortunately for Chris, neither her nor Tristan had any interest in hockey, though that may change for Tristan.

"Steph, can it wait!" Chris called back. "It's the third period and the score is tied, so if you can just wait!"

"Chris, what is more important to you, me and your daughter, or hockey!" she called back, her voice teasing, but also serious.

"You know the answer to that, but can you just wait?"

"Just pause it with TiVo," Stephanie said, being quite rational and practical, as was her nature.

"Oh yeah," Chris mumbled to himself as he did just that. He stood up from the couch and stretched his arms. He had been sitting down for a couple of hours and his body needed to get reacquainted with standing up. He heard his back crack loudly and groaned. He walked into the other room to see Tristan standing up using the side table, and Stephanie handing her a toy.

"Ok, so what is so important that I needed to pause the hockey game and come in here?"

"Aren't we important?" Stephanie said with a little pout.

"The MOST important, but I spend all of my time with you already," he answered, choosing to sit down next to Stephanie and kiss her lightly. She kissed him back, and then pulled away to kiss him again. He laughed against her lips. "Hi."

"Hey, you've been pretty comatose for the last couple hours with that game on. Maybe you'll have to take me to a game so that I can figure out what all this hockey hoopla is."

"No thanks, I don't need you asking a million questions and thus sapping any interest I have in the game."

"Damn, you caught on to my evil plan," she said with a tiny smile. "We called you in here, because I was teaching Tristan something, and she wanted to show you what she could do. I had to stop her seven times from trying to crawl into the other room and see you. She didn't quite get it when I said that you were busy."

"Hey Trist, did you want to show me something?" Chris said, leaning towards her. She looked at him and smiled, reaching out for him, and then realizing that she no longer had a grip on the table she fell on her butt with a soft thump. She looked stunned for a second, like she couldn't believe she had been stupid enough to let go of the table and fall. Chris and Stephanie waited a second, and then Tristan started crying, still not believing what she had attempted to do. Chris reached out to her and she crawled over to him, climbing into his lap. "Hey there, were you going to try to walk for Daddy and Mommy?"

Tristan's lip quivered as the tears fell and Chris held her tighter to him. She only stopped crying when Stephanie gave her the stuffed dog that she loved so much. Tristan loved that thing and she held it happily as the tears subsided, and her face dried. Stephanie took a tissue off the table and wiped Tristan's face with it, helping her clean up.

"Ok Trist, let's show Daddy what you know now," Stephanie said once Tristan's spirits seemed to raise. Tristan smiled and reached out for Stephanie, who took her and sat her facing her and Chris.

"I'm very anxious," Chris said excitedly, to which Tristan clapped to, and then looked expectantly to Stephanie for instruction.

"Ok baby, where's your....nose?" Stephanie said. Tristan's face scrunched up in thought for a moment and then she touched her open palm to her nose. She looked at Stephanie to confirm her answer and Stephanie grinned, "That's right! And where are your...ears?"

Tristan again thought for a moment before touching her ears with both hands. Stephanie clapped for her, and Tristan clapped for herself, and bounced around a little bit. Stephanie and Tristan looked to Chris for his reaction, and judging from the huge grin on his face, he looked to be impressed. This had only served the purpose of making him think that his daughter was a genius and needed to immediately be put into the best schools that money (of which they had lots) had to offer.

"Did you like that Daddy?" Stephanie asked.

"Wow, you taught her to do that?"

"Uh huh, she's so smart too, she barely needed any help, right baby?" Tristan looked confused for a moment, but then smiled.

"I can't believe she did that. I mean, that's recognizing things, and knowing, and learning. My daughter can learn!" Chris exclaimed. Stephanie laughed at his genuine happiness over Tristan's accomplishment. "Trist, do you know where your mouth is?"

Tristan showed it to him easily, even giving a smile and a good look at her teeth in the process. He took her in his arms and lifted her over his head, making funny faces at her. She tried to grab him, but he was too far away, but she smiled again at him, and kicked her chubby, little legs happily.

"Ba da le te sa," Tristan babbled to Chris and Stephanie.

"I think she's going to start walking soon," Stephanie said, "And maybe talking. She's starting to say syllables like the book said she would."

"But she's so young, she's my baby," Chris said, not getting emotional by any means, but realizing that his little girl wasn't going to be a baby for much longer, and not only that, but she had been in his life for almost a year. It would be her birthday in a few months, and it was weird to think that he had only had Tristan for a year, because it seemed his life had never been without her.

"Yeah, but think about it. She'll be able to walk, and talk, and that's got to be something special right?"

"Yeah...so how you holding up?" he said, knowing that she had been avoiding the mention of the company, and avoiding any subject related to wrestling. They hadn't even discussed what they were going to do next Monday when he had to go to work.

"I'm fine, my daughter is the smartest thing ever, how could I not be fine?" she asked defensively.

"Well, as much as I LOVE my daughter being able to learn all this great stuff, which will put her at the head of the class I'm sure, it's kind of glaringly obvious that this took time...and you know, effort, since Trist is only just nine months old. So this had to have been like a job for you. Finding jobs you know...around the house to pass the time..." He was trying to imply it without actually saying it. Stephanie was not too stupid not to notice what he was doing, but the less she talked about it, the less real it seemed.

"What are you trying to say?" Stephanie challenged. If he was going to say what was on his mind, then he was going to have to say it, and not play ring-around-the-rosie with his words.

"Are you ok? I'm trying to ask if you are ok with you not being able to work!" Chris said, putting Tristan down for the sole purpose of being able to throw his arms up in exasperation over her stubbornness. God help this family because they were all stubborn in almost equal ways.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Stephanie asked flippantly.

"Bull--"

"Don't you even dare finish that word because Tristan is in the room," Stephanie warned.

"Fine, but you know that it's that, threefold Stephanie. Threefold. You have to talk about this sometime. I mean...you're out of work."

"I KNOW THAT!" she screamed, startling both Tristan and Chris. Stephanie's eyes flared angrily, a supernova going off in her eyes. She stood up quickly and walked out of the room (though it was more like stormed out), leaving Tristan and Chris in her wake. Chris knew better than to follow her, because it would only result in a fight, and rather than have that happen, he would just let her cool down.

"Is it time for your nap yet Trist?" Chris asked, looking at his watch, and seeing that he still had an hour or so before Tristan liked to be put down. "Ok, no, not yet. So what do you want to do? Do you want Daddy to tell you a story?"

Tristan didn't respond, still watching the doorway where Stephanie had stormed out. She had that little whimpering face on, and Chris rubbed her back so that she wouldn't start crying. He stood up and walked him and Tristan over to the couch, laying down on it. He laid Tristan on his chest and rubbed her back, as she sighed against him.

"Once upon a time, there was a guy named Chris Jericho," Chris started. "He was the most handsome man in the world of wrestling. He had gone to college, studying to be a journalist, but he was drawn into the magical universe of wrestling. And so he studied and studied until he was the best wrestler in the entire world. It didn't take him long either because he was special, very special, and he held all the magical keys that it took to succeed. He knew technique, and how to sell properly, and best of all, he was very sexy, and every girl wanted him. Now Chris Jericho usually rebuffed these women because they were not perfect enough for someone so wonderful, and talented, and gorgeous. Chris Jericho was special, and he wasn't going to just settle for any woman, the woman had to be the most beautiful woman in all the world."

Tristan looked up at him and pursed her lips together, "Ah da ma ka."

"I think I heard a "ma" in there, so you probably meant Mommy," Chris continued. "Yes, I met the beautiful Stephanie McMahon...but she was married to the evil Mr. Helmsley. And Daddy could not stand him, so he had no choice but to hate the beautiful Stephanie McMahon. But then the wicked jesters decided to change that, and stuck Stephanie in a room with Chris, seemingly to get along...and do you know what happened? They started to like each other! It was a miracle. But that wasn't all. The handsome Chris Jericho and the beautiful Stephanie McMahon became friends, and then the evil Mr. Helmsley betrayed the beautiful Stephanie, and that sent her right into the arms of the handsome Chris. And do you know what happened?" Tristan slapped his chest with her palm, as if prodding him to continue. "Well, they had a beautiful, smart little girl named Tristan!"

Tristan's eyes lit up when she heard her name being said and Chris laughed as she looked at him happily. She laid her head back down and he only wished it could always be this easy to make someone happy. But he doubted a cute story would make Stephanie laugh right now. That was the good thing about having a baby, they thought everything was hilarious. At least Tristan had the ability to make him happy despite the situation.

"You're beautiful," Chris mumbled, leaning down to kiss Tristan's head. "Thank you for coming into my life."

Stephanie stood just outside the doorframe. In all of this, she hadn't stopped to think that this might hurt Chris too. Her and Chris, they were together now, and she had to think of his feelings. When she was with Hunter, they usually thought so linear, one thing led to one thing, led to something else, and that was it. But Chris, Chris has so many facets, so many views on things, that she had a hard time not thinking linear, not thinking that she quit, therefore she was out of a job, and she was sad now, and she had the right to be angry. No, now it was, she quit, and that mad her sad, but it also made Chris upset for her, and he might want to comfort her, or he might want to try and get her, her job back, or he might do something else. Things were not cut and dry with Chris, and she had to learn that.

She turned and walked back into the room. Tristan was playing with the buttons on Chris's shirt, probably trying to chew on one, and Chris had his eyes closed, but she knew that he wasn't asleep. Tristan looked up at her and smiled, her eyes dancing, Chris's eyes; they were so much like Chris's eyes. She knelt down next to the couch and kissed Chris's cheek. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her.

"Hi," she said, keeping her words simple.

"Hey," he responded.

"Your hockey game is still on pause."

"I'm not too much into it right now," he told her, his blue eyes piercing her own.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "For getting mad."

"It's all right, you have every right to be mad."

"Not at you," she said. "You've been nothing but supportive of me throughout this entire thing, and I've been nothing but a bitch to you. I'm just sad, and I don't know how to deal with someone else being sad with me. So you'll just have to bear with me, please, because I'm still new at this."

"I was thinking actually," Chris said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "While Tristan was trying to chew the buttons off my shirt, but I was thinking. You don't have to be completely away from the business."

"Chris, I don't know if going with you would be the best idea. It would hurt too much. There you would be, wrestling and happy, and I'd be sitting there, wishing I could be working, and that's no fun. Although I would have Tristan which would be easier, but still..."

"No, I mean, when you quit, you quit your job right?"

"Well, that's usually what quit means Chris."

"But you didn't quit your on-screen job, you just quit the management aspect of it."

"I don't get what you're saying here."

"I'm saying that you can still come out with me. Nobody said that you couldn't come out with me, accompany me to my matches, cut promos with me. You only quit your job, which was in the management aspect of things, you never said you would quit your on-screen persona."

Stephanie thought about that for a moment. It was true. Not once in her fight with Vince had she ever mentioned anything besides how much work she was doing behind the scenes. She had needed a break from her behind-the-scenes work, not from her job by Chris's side. She didn't need a break from that job after all, because it didn't require much work. She started to smile widely.

"You're a genius! We should call MENSA today!" Stephanie yelled, throwing her arms around Chris's neck and holding onto him for dear life. This effectively startled Tristan for the third time that day. She sat up on Chris's stomach, and attempted to climb off of him, and off the couch altogether. Stephanie set her down on the floor so she could go play with her toys, as Chris sat up and Stephanie started to straddle him. She kissed him everywhere on his face, not caring that she was more times than not, missing his lips entirely.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" she said, over and over again as she continued to lavish him with kisses.

"Well damn, if I knew it was this easy to get you to love me, I would've just said this about a year ago."

"You are the best boyfriend ever! And the best father of my child! And you're just the best!" she said excitedly. "I'm not banished from the business! Wait, what if my dad won't allow it?"

"What's not to allow?" Chris said. "You didn't quit this job."

"But I quit MY job...what if he thinks that extends to this?"

"Then we tell your mom."

"Mom has a lot of power, but my dad can have it overruled."

"But you didn't quit this, and he can't prove that you did."

"So either way, I can be back," she said. "Oh thank God! Trist, did you hear that, I have a job, I have a job!"

"Congratulations," Chris chuckled. Stephanie looked him straight in the eye.

"Thank you Chris. I don't know what I would do without you."


	61. Chapter 61

Monday did indeed roll around, as it is wont to do. Time stops for nobody after all…at least not on Earth, perhaps in a different place, time would move slower or faster, but here, it just kept moving along, like a river. And so Chris and Stephanie found themselves facing a large arena, not unlike many arenas they had traveled to before. They all tended to blur together after a while, each city barring any real characteristics.

However, tonight was different. Tonight, Stephanie was not officially working. But she was still going to try and go out there with Chris, for support and for her own need to feel wanted and needed. Sad as that may sound, it was her reality. She needed to have work, to do something and feel the reward of doing it. In a way, she could say the same thing of Tristan. She had taken care of Tristan when she was pregnant and now she had the reward of a very cute, very smart little girl.

Chris was the one pushing the stroller as she hung back a little. He was talking to Tristan about something, probably the different colors of the cars that she kept pointing to. Stephanie didn't care for the ominous feeling that was creeping up her back as she neared the arena. She wasn't nervous about anything relating to the show. She just didn't like the fact that she was coming back on a loophole. She was grateful for the loophole, don't mistake that, but still, she would rather be here on her own terms rather than the fact that she found a loophole into her whole quitting thing.

Chris let her alone, knowing that she would catch up when she felt like it. She was hanging around a bit outside, and maybe signing a few autographs would help calm her down. Tristan tilted her head back to look up at him, as if begging him to let her get out of this restricting chair. She had got from her car-seat on the plane, to her stroller in the airport, to her car-seat in the car, and then back to her stroller again to come into the arena.

"Trist, I promise that once we get settled, we can go walk around and visit with everyone," Chris told her as they navigated their way through the hallways. Tristan laughed the most when Chris popped wheelies with her stroller. He pushed open the door to their locker room as he pushed Tristan inside. "Here we go. This is where we're staying for the evening."

"Beh de ca," Tristan said, trying to get out of her seat, but finding it most difficult since her strap was still hooked.

"Here, let me get you out of that thing," Chris said, unstrapping her from her stroller and picking her up with one arm. He put the bags on a table as she laid her head on his shoulder to watch him. "Ok, let's go and say hi to everybody. Who do you want to say hi to first?"

Tristan made no motion, but yawned instead, since she had just woken up from her nap on their way to the arena. Chris smiled and kissed her forehead. "Hmm…I'm thinking that means you want to go see someone who's boring…but who could that be?"

Tristan made a surprised face and Chris laughed. He set her down on the ground, on her feet and held her hands. She just stood there for a second before Chris literally lifted her off of her feet and bounced her towards the door. She stood on her own as he opened the door, and with his assistance (holding both her hands for her), she took a couple of clumsy steps on her own. She almost fell, but Chris's arms held her up, so she was safe from any harm. They wandered slowly down the hallway, Tristan occasionally pausing as she found something that piqued her curiosity.

"I have to go check the schedule," Chris told her as they steered left. Tristan spotted Stephanie up ahead and whined a little, using all her strength to pull away from Chris. He let her go, where she landed on her diaper-covered butt with a little thump. She started crawling quickly over to Stephanie, Chris following behind her. Stephanie had been speaking to Hunter and turned her head when she heard the familiar babbling of her daughter.

"Tristan, hey baby," Stephanie said, bending down to pick her up.

"We wanted to come visit people, but she saw you and wanted to see you," Chris explained, dusting off Tristan's hands as they had gotten dirty from her crawling.

"Well, you can say hello to Uncle Hunter," Stephanie said, holding Tristan's palm and manually giving Hunter a wave. "Hi Uncle Hunter."

Tristan pointed at him with her own volition, and Hunter smiled at her. "Hey there, how are you?"

"She's great, aren't you beautiful," Chris said, kissing her head. "I'm going to go check out the schedule, I'll be back in a while, see you guys."

Chris walked away to go find out the schedule for the evening and Hunter turned to Stephanie, "I don't make him uncomfortable or anything, do I?"

Stephanie balked, "Why would you make him feel uncomfortable?"

"Oh, I don't know Stephanie, the fact that we were married, and only pretty recently got divorced. Not to mention the fact that you cheated on me with him."

"So? You cheated on me with YOUR girlfriend, and I have no problem around her," Stephanie pointed out. "Does she feel uncomfortable around me?"

"Do you ever see her around me when I'm talking to you?" Hunter said, hoping that made enough point to her. Stephanie frowned. She never even realized that she made Stacy feel uncomfortable.

"I make her feel uncomfortable?"

"A little bit, yeah," Hunter said. "I mean, I just think she feels guilty, like she broke up a marriage."

"She kind of did," Stephanie laughed. "I'm sorry, that was just too easy. If Chris feels uncomfortable about anything, I guess it would be because you were Tristan's dad for a while there. He might resent that he wasn't there for her birth or for the first month of her life, but really, I think he's over that."

"I just don't want to make him uncomfortable. I've changed since the whole Tristan thing. I think I'm nicer…it's not great for me, but my opponents aren't complaining."

Stephanie laughed. "I guess I should talk to him. I want to stay friends with you Hunter. You were a big part of my life, and I'd like you to still be IN my life."

"And I do too. I still love Tristan, you know, even though she isn't mine."

Stephanie smiled. "I want you to be in her life too. You did take her not being your daughter very well. And I thank you for that, because it could've been a lot messier than it had to be."

"Yeah…I better go find where Stacy is anyways. But good luck with tonight. If your father gives you any crap for being on the show, I'll help Chris beat his ass."

Stephanie laughed and gave him a one-armed hug with her free arm, "Thank you. I hope it won't come to that, but thank you in advance if it does."

"Anything I can do to help."

Stephanie and Tristan left Hunter then, and Stephanie decided to go find Chris. She had never thought of the fact that Chris might be uncomfortable around Hunter. She always thought that if anyone was going to be uncomfortable, it would be her. She was the one married to him after all. But this was once again a case where she thought to linear, maybe a little too self-involved. She was just thinking of herself again, and not even taking into account what Chris might feel, seeing her talking to Hunter.

Things were good with Chris, they could be argued that they were great with Chris. It almost erased most of their past, and what had happened with Tristan. At least that's what it was for her. She wasn't sure if Chris still had it all in his mind. Maybe he saw her and Hunter talking and he was reminded of when they had Tristan, and she was lying, and he was drinking. The thoughts were so overwhelming that she felt like she needed to sit down. She came across catering and sat down at an empty table.

Tristan sat there quietly, playing with the necklace that she and Chris had gotten for Stephanie. Stephanie held Tristan in her lap with one hand and just thought. She really needed to learn how to read Chris. They were still fairly new in their relationship, and she still needed to learn about him. Sometimes his face was so impassive, and you could never tell what he was thinking. It was unnerving for her.

Chris had just been passing by catering, on his way to look for Stephanie and Tristan. He had a match against Booker T, and that was pretty much it. It was a nice change of pace, since he usually had a promo or two that he had to deal with. He wouldn't be so tired that he couldn't deal with Tristan. He turned his head at just the right moment to see Stephanie and Tristan. Smiling he walked into catering, but saw that Stephanie seemed to be thinking. He shrugged and picked up Tristan from Stephanie's arms, which finally broke her trance.

"When did you get here?" Stephanie asked.

"A couple seconds ago," Chris answered, leaning his cheek against Tristan's head. "I think someone needs a diaper change. I'm gonna go change her, you going to hang out here?"

"No, um, yeah, actually," she said, causing Chris to give her a strange look.

"You ok?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded. "I'm, uh, just worried about later."

Chris leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Don't worry about later, it'll all work itself out."

"Thanks," she said, though that wasn't the real thing that was on her mind. Chris kissed her forehead again before he took off with Tristan.

By the time that Stephanie got back to their locker room, Chris and Tristan were nowhere to be found. She figured that they were off somewhere, visiting someone, laughing. She sat down on the couch, suddenly feeling very heavy, and very much clueless. She just didn't know about Chris…maybe she didn't know about him at all. She loved him, that much she knew, but did she really know him beyond what she saw everyday of him? Did she know his feelings or his thoughts?

By the time that Chris came back with a babbling Tristan in his arms, Stephanie has small tears rolling down her cheeks. Chris immediately saw this and put Tristan into the crib in the room and sat down next to Stephanie. He didn't know why she was crying, unless she had an encounter with Vince, which could probably do this with no trouble at all. He just took her into his arms, and let her cry it out. It was like Tristan in a way, he just had to hold her, and let her cry until she calmed down. He was their protector, and he had vowed to take care of them in any way possible.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked quietly, leaning his head on hers.

Stephanie's sobbing quieted down until she felt she could speak. "Do I know you?"

Chris didn't know what to make of the question, so he followed it up with one of his own, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…do I really know you?"

"In what sense?"

"Every sense."

"Well, do you think you know me?"

"No, I don't think I know you at all. I think I'm the worst girlfriend in the world!" This caused her to start sobbing more, and Chris held her to him tighter than before, still not knowing what was bugging her so much.

"I don't think that at all…I think you're the best. I tell you that often enough don't I?" Maybe it was something he said to her that had set her off.

"Does being around Hunter bother you? Does it make you uncomfortable? Does it make you uncomfortable when I talk to him, or when I'm around him?" she asked, setting off an arsenal of questions for him.

"No, no, no, and used to, but doesn't anymore," Chris answered succinctly.

Stephanie pulled away from his chest to look up at him, "Really? It doesn't bother you to be around him?"

"Should it?" he asked. "I'm not bothered by him, I don't think I have reason to be. It's not like he's pursuing you, or anything. He had Stacy after all, and they look pretty happy when we see them together."

"And it doesn't bother you when I'm around him, or when Tristan is around him?"

"Well, it did when I didn't know why you were hanging around with him, but that's because I didn't know the nature of your relationship, but it doesn't bother me now. You guys are friends, and you had history together, and Tristan is clearly my daughter, and so I have no problem with it."

"I just thought that I didn't know you at all."

"Steph, you know me, and what you don't know, you'll find out. But you don't have to go crying because you don't know if I'm uncomfortable around Hunter."

"I just thought that I didn't know you as well as I thought and I was just stumbling through this relationship while you, as always, were the steady one."

"Yeah, I've always been the steady one, that's why I turned to the bottle," Chris laughed.

Stephanie hugged him. "I'm glad that you aren't threatened by Hunter."

"Oh, so now it's threatened huh?"

"You know what I meant by that," she said playfully. His lips descended on hers, and they melded together into a sweet kiss. Stephanie loved to kiss him. His lips were so nice, she never thought they would be this soft, but like much of Chris Jericho's personality, it surprised her. They broke apart when they heard Tristan whimpering while looking just pathetic enough with her face pressing between the bars of her crib.

"You ready to go out with me later?" he asked Stephanie as he got up to go grab Tristan.

"Yeah, I'm still nervous as to my father's reaction though. I just hope that he doesn't want to banish me or anything. I can see him sending me out of here, maybe with a couple of security guards dragging me behind them. That would be so like him."

"I won't let any security guards drag you away. I have to think that your father is going to be somewhat sympathetic. I mean, you are the mother of his only grandchild. Shouldn't that count for something?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't let me have time off to see her, why should I think that he would let me have a job because of her?"

"Because she's cute, and I doubt that Vince wants to turn his back on the future of the company."

"She is the future of the company huh?" Stephanie said, as she stood up and went up to Chris and Tristan, letting Tristan play with her hand.

"Yup," Chris said.

"And you don't think that she's the reason we're together."

"Steph, get off this kick. I do think that Tristan is A reason that we're together, but is she THE reason, no, I don't think so," Chris told her, hoping that she would believe it. Stephanie wasn't usually so insecure, but Chris guessed that this thing with her father was bothering her more than she cared to let on. Perhaps Stephanie, finding that she could lose or quit a job in an instant, had come to realize that other things were lost in an instant as well. That life was not something that you could always count on to go a certain way, but it would take the path that it chose for you.

"But she is a reason?"

"Of course she is."

"But you're not just with me because you want Tristan to have her parents be together?"

"No, not at all. I figure as long as we both love her, then it doesn't matter if we're together or not. I love Tristan, and I know that you love Tristan, and that's what counts in this. We never had to love each other, but I love you. How the hell could I not fall in love with you? You threw yourself at me, and practically made me sleep with you."

"I didn't make you," Stephanie said, shaking her head.

"Yes, you did. You were practically begging me for it. It was bordering on pathetic. I was feeling so sorry for you that I felt like if it was going to cheer you up, then why not? Not to mention, it's not every girl that's getting a piece of Y2J, so I thought I'd give you a free taste, no strings attached."

"Gross," Stephanie said with a roll of her eyes. "And no strings attached? How about ever string known to man attached with this one? I mean, I got pregnant from it after all. That's one huge string."

"True, true," Chris agreed. "But it's not like I didn't ever want Tristan. Couldn't have her, sure, but I wanted her."

"I'm sure she wanted you too, since you're her Daddy."

"And your Daddy is not going to fire you and have you dragged out of here. And you are not a bad girlfriend, and before you even ask, you are the farthest thing from a bad mother."

"I never said I thought I was a bad mother."

"I felt it creeping up on the horizon."

"I had no intention of thinking that. But now that you mention it--"

"I don't think you're a bad mother. You are involved in Tristan's life, and you're great with her, and she loves you very much, right Tristan?" Chris said, asking the child. Tristan smiled at him. "See, that's a smile saying how much she loves you because you are such a great Mommy. The kid adores you. The kid wants to be you when she grows up. Barely ten months old and she's already idolizing you."

"Well, it's not like there aren't a lot of people who idolize me, I AM Stephanie McMahon, right?"

"See, now this is the woman I like to see, not some simpering fool," Chris said.

"Well fine, then I'm going to act like this from now on, so why don't we go blow away that crowd out there, and steal this damn show."

"Now we're talking."


	62. Chapter 62

"Tristan, it's time to go see Uncle Hunter so Mommy and Daddy can go out and work," Stephanie said as she walked slowly over to her daughter.

Tristan looked up at her and her eyes widened. Stephanie reached her hands out and Tristan, thinking that Stephanie wanted to play with her, started crawling away quickly. Stephanie laughed and caught up with her, picking her up and hoisting her up over her head.

"Where did you think you were going?"

"Ba la," she said, pointing to the door.

"Come on, let's go find Uncle Hunter, you'll love hanging out with him. You used to hang out with him a lot."

Stephanie went over to pick up Tristan's diaper bag and Tristan squealed in happiness when Stephanie picked up her stuffed dog. Stephanie handed it to her and Tristan held it close to her. Stephanie kissed her forehead as they walked to Hunter's locker room.

Stephanie handed over Tristan to Hunter. The little girl whimpered a little and sent a sad pout to Stephanie. Stephanie tilted her head and jutted her lip out, feeling bad about having to leave Tristan with Hunter, but she was going out with Chris in a little while, and Tristan couldn't come out with them. Stephanie didn't want her to have to be in the spotlight anymore than she was.

Her father had been bugging her (before she quit) to put Tristan on television, at least for a McMahon thing, to show how the generations were coming together, and the future was secure for a third generation. But Stephanie and Chris had been adamant in keeping Tristan's privacy. She couldn't even walk or talk and Vince wanted to plaster her face all over the product.

Tristan whined and reached her hand out to Stephanie, trying to pull away from Hunter. Stephanie held her hand for a moment, "Baby girl, Mommy'll be back when I'm done with Daddy."

Tristan didn't seem to like this explanation and she whined and tried to get back to Stephanie. Hunter had to hold the wriggling little girl tightly to him, lest she wriggle her way out of his arms. Stephanie paused for a moment, and she was seriously hesitant to go. Tristan was going through the phase where she liked to be around her parents, and even though she liked Hunter, the thought of Stephanie living was enough to make her upset, and Stephanie almost didn't want to.

"She'd be too young to take out there right?" Stephanie asked, looking up at Hunter. He could see that she was desperately wanting to take Tristan back from him and just hold her.

"Steph, you know you don't want to take her out there," Hunter said sternly.

"But she wants me."

"Stephanie…"

"But Hunter, she needs me, I'm her Mommy, and--"

"Do you really think Chris is going to want you out there, with Tristan, while he's wrestling?" Hunter asked.

"No," she said hesitantly, "But he also wouldn't want Trist to be upset and crying, and missing us. He'd take one look at her face, and he'd be heartbroken!"

"Stephanie, you know that Chris would never want to take her out there and put her in harm's way."

"I know, but she'll miss us. And she might cry the whole time she's with you, and she'll drive you crazy," Stephanie said, rubbing the back of Tristan's hand soothingly.

"Are you sure that you aren't attached to her more than she's attached to you," Hunter said with a bemused smile. Tristan had pretty much settled herself against Hunter and seemed pretty content at where she was. Stephanie, on the other hand, was looking at her daughter, her expression worried and filled with trepidation.

"Shut up," Stephanie said, good-naturedly. "I hate that you know me well."

"Stephanie, I think she'll be fine. I'll occupy her with toys and books and everything. Babies like that right? I mean, she likes to play with toys?"

"You should see our house," Stephanie laughed. "You can't step somewhere without one of her toys being around. We used to be able to keep the house fairly organized, but since Tristan started crawling, toys are everywhere. You should be lucky she's not yours because your pristine house would be a mess."

The words stung Hunter, very little, but they still stung ever so slightly. "Well, then it would've made it harder for me to propose to Stacy."

Stephanie's eyes widened, "No!"

Hunter nodded in response, "Yeah, I'm planning on it."

"Oh Hunter, I'm so happy for you," Stephanie said, pulling him into a hug, but being careful not to crush her daughter between the two of them. She was genuinely happy that Hunter had found happiness. She had moved on from him a while ago, and now they were only friends. She was just happy that she hadn't scarred him forever.

"Thanks, actually you should come see the ring, I'd like to get your opinion on it, since you're a woman and all that stuff," he said, suddenly embarrassed.

"I would love to, I'll come see it when I pick up Tristan after Chris's match."

"Sounds great, I just want to--"

Hunter didn't get a chance to finish his thought when Linda came up to the two of them. She had been surprised that the two of them were on speaking terms and especially the fact that Tristan was being held by Hunter, and she seemed to have no problem with that. Maybe she had missed more around here than she thought. But one thing she was clear on was that Stephanie had quit her position in management.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Linda started as she walked over, "Stephanie, can I have a moment of your time?"

Stephanie looked to Hunter with a wide-eyed expression, "Hunter, you've got everything Trist needs to keep her occupied right?"

"Yeah, books, toys, everything," Hunter said, "We're going to have a blast."

"Ok, I'll see you later sweetie," Stephanie said, kissing Tristan's cheek before Hunter brought her inside his dressing room. Once they had left, Stephanie stepped away from the door and turned to her mother. Not sure what kind of expression she should show, her face fell to a neutral expression. "Hi Mom."

"Stephanie, what is this about you quitting?" Linda asked, putting a hand on Stephanie's arm."

"Dad and I had a fight, and I quit. I couldn't be working so much Mom. I have a daughter and she needs me."

"I just wish that you hadn't quit. We need you."

"Mom, I'm sorry, but I can't go back while Dad is being unreasonable. He wants me away from Chris and Tristan, and I just can't do that. I have a family now…ME, I have a family." For some reason, saying it like this, in the heat of the moment hit her, and made her smile softly, thinking about the family she and Chris had started.

"Stephanie, your father was doing what was best for you. We want you to run this company, and you have to be prepared."

"At the expense of Chris and Tristan?"

"Chris can deal with Tristan."

"Mom, I don't want to raise Tristan the way that you raised me and Shane. It was fine for us, but I love Tristan too much to want to be away from her. Being away from her right now is killing me."

"But you never complained, and you had a wonderful childhood," Linda pointed out.

"I know that I did Mom, but I still missed you and Dad sometimes. You weren't around as much as I would've liked. I mean, you were, but you weren't. I just want to be there for Tristan…and for Chris too."

"Are you planning on marrying Chris?" Linda asked rather suddenly. Stephanie was stunned by the sudden line of questioning. She hadn't even thought that far ahead in the future and she stuttered for a few moments.

"If the time is right," Stephanie said, looking around to anywhere she felt she could escape to.

"Well, if you are going to be the sole supporter of Tristan, you need a job and--"

"Whoa, Mom, wait, what do you mean the sole supporter of Tristan?"

"Well, I mean, if you aren't going to marry him--"

"Mom, I never said I WOULD'NT marry Chris, I just said that if the time was right then we might. We haven't really discussed it yet."

"And what if you two break up? What if he abandons the two of you? You won't have a job, and you won't be able to support Tristan."

Stephanie could see where her mother was going with this. It wasn't that she didn't like Chris (she hoped she was right about this), she was just trying the most circuitous route in trying to lure Stephanie back on the job. If she made Stephanie think that this was for Tristan, then it would be easier to bring Stephanie back. Nonetheless, she didn't like what her mother was implying.

"Why would you think that Chris would abandon us?"

"I'm just saying you never know."

"No Mom, I know. Chris would never abandon Tristan, NEVER. Even if Chris and I don't work out, which I don't see happening, he would never let that affect his relationship or love for Tristan. She's his daughter; he would never abandon her or not be in her life."

"Well, it happens all the time."

"Not with Chris. Chris loves Tristan so much he was willing to give her up just so I could be happy; just so Tristan could have what he thought was a real family. He loves the both of us Mom, and I have to go and be with him, because he has a match right now and he wants me out there with him."

Stephanie hurried away from her mother before her anger set in and she said something she'd regret. She knew her mother liked Chris, but the words she said hurt. Not because they were the truth, because Chris would never abandon Tristan, but because Chris was the man that she loved, and for someone, especially her mother, to say something like that, it made her boil with anger.

"Hey, where've you been?" Chris asked as Stephanie stomped over, giving her a tiny kiss on the lips. "I thought you were just dropping off Trist."

"I was, then I was talking to Hunter for a few minutes and then my mother came over and decided to try her hand and getting me to come back."

"Uh oh," Chris said, seeing that the face Stephanie was making was not one that said, "Hey, I'm back in management!"

"Uh oh is right. Sometimes, I think my mom is more devious than my dad, except she is a lot more subtle about it. But they are perfect for each other sometimes."

"What did she say that made you so upset?" he asked her.

"It doesn't even bear repeating, but she basically said that I needed to work for the company in case you ever decided to abandon me and Tristan. You know, if you just decided one day that your daughter didn't matter to you and you just up and left, and then for some reason, I'd be poor and desolate and I would have no way to support my daughter despite the fact that I'm pretty much a tightwad when it comes down to it and I could retire right now and live more than comfortably for the rest of my life, and Tristan could live comfortably for the rest of her life, and any great-grand children she had could live comfortably for the rest of their lives!" Stephanie said, exasperated. Chris hugged her to him for a moment, then gave a small laugh. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No, I'm just laughing at that rant of yours. And the fact that she would suggest that I would leave you and Tristan."

"Because you wouldn't," Stephanie said, a firm statement, not a question in the slightest.

"Yeah, I know, maybe I would leave you in the dust for some younger woman, but I wouldn't leave Tristan if you paid me to stay away from her."

"Younger woman!"

"Or older…I'm not age discriminatory."

Stephanie laughed. "Well, that's good at least. But what's worse, you leaving me for a younger woman, because then I'd feel old, or you leaving me for an older woman, because then I'd feel like I was ugly or something?"

"Um…neither, because I'm not leaving you."

"Well, I'd probably go for a younger guy," she mused. "Because if I go older than you, I'm in some seriously old territory there."

"Hey!"

"What?" she asked innocently. "You don't need to worry, you're my baby daddy."

"Come on, I've got an actual match to worry about."

"Oh yeah, slipped my mind," she said, linking her arm through his. She leaned up a little to kiss him on the cheek before they walked closer to the stairs to the ramp and then the stage. Booker's music was already playing.

Chris's music went off next and Stephanie put her trademark smirk on her face as Chris led her up the stairs. Stepping out onto that stage, she thanked Chris (in her head) again for being so smart as to think up a solution to her recent job dissolution. She walked confidently down to the ring on Chris's arm and he let go of her as she patted him on the back, ascending the steps moments later as she stood by the side of the ring.

She would never give up this buzz for anything. There was nothing better than being in front of thousands of people who came to see you. It created a warmth in her, this job, this ring, everything about it made her buzz with excitement. She cheered Chris appropriately, and jumped up and down when he won. She climbed into the ring as gracefully as she could and hugged him, despite the fact he was sweaty and he smelled.

"Thank you for this," she whispered to him as he held her close.

"For what? I didn't do anything." That wasn't true. She could've given up; she was ready to give up, had thought that she would never get this, but she was; she was in this ring, and despite her parents, she had everything: a great job, a great boyfriend, and an incredible daughter.

"You did more than you'll ever know."


	63. Chapter 63

A/N: Not too eventful a chapter, but I like to have some predominantly fluffy chapters. :)

* * *

Stephanie was back at work every week, and she must have struck a nerve with her parents because they hadn't bothered her. She didn't know if it was just divine intervention, of if they were phasing her out, but whatever it was, she was glad for it. She didn't need her mother hovering over her shoulder, telling her that Chris was always two steps from leaving her. If that happened, she would be quite homeless, so she didn't think that her mother had really gotten a clue.

"And coming in at just about eleven months, from Tampa, Florida, Tristan Jericho!" Chris said, lifting Tristan in the air as they walked into the kitchen.

"Hey there, Tristan, are you thirsty?" Tristan smiled and pointed towards her sippy cup which was waiting for her on the counter. Stephanie handed her the cup filled with apple juice and Chris sat her down on the kitchen floor and walked over to Stephanie, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist and clasping his hands against her lower back.

"Hey you, have fun shopping?"

"Yeah, but it's so weird shopping now," she confessed, "Because I'm always looking for something for Tristan. It's like, two shirts for me, seven shirts for her. I just find the cutest things and I can't resist."

"Her wardrobe is bigger than mine."

"Well, her wardrobe doesn't consist of band t-shirts, except that KISS one you got her," Stephanie said, shaking her head. "Trying to make my little girl into some kind of punk."

"She's my little girl too, so I can do whatever I want to the half of her that I made."

"Yeah, and I'll do whatever I want with my half," Stephanie said, laughing. "So did you guys go to the park like you said?"

"Why yes, yes we did. And she had a blast, and so did I. There were a bunch of other people there, and she wasn't even daunted! She was like this social butterfly, smiles and cute looks for everyone. She's just like me, a charmer."

"Calling yourself charming negates being charming. Besides, she's used to being around lots of people, we take her with us on the road. So what did you guys do?" Stephanie asked anxiously.

"I thought this was supposed to be your day without worrying."

"I'm not worrying, I'm just curious as to what you did. I wish I could've gone, but you had to tell me to go shopping because I haven't really gotten a break in a while, so you insisted, though I would've rather been with you guys, but far be it for me to go against what you want," Stephanie said with a snort, effectively ending her rant.

"Geez, I didn't need a full-on speech. We went on the swings and then we played in the sandbox, and she made a little friend down there, they were playing together with a ball or something. I forget, the baby had a hot mother," Chris said with a teasing wink. "So feel free to let me take her to the park whenever."

Stephanie's face turned to stone, "Not even close to being funny."

"And I now know that I want to avoid ever seeing that face again so point duly noted."

"I should give Tristan a bath," Stephanie said, "Germs and everything."

"Wait, we need to discuss something," Chris said. "We can't put it off too much longer because a certain date is coming up soon."

"Chris, I don't wanna discuss that."

"Stephanie, if we're having a birthday party for our daughter on her FIRST ever birthday, shouldn't we invite your--"

"Don't finish that sentence," Stephanie implored him. She didn't want to talk about Tristan's birthday because it would inevitably bring up the topic of her parents, and how much she didn't want them to come. They didn't seem to support any of her endeavors, and it made her seem like a failure to them. She had a broken marriage, a baby born out of wedlock, and the product of a one night stand, at the time. She didn't necessarily want to make them proud, but she would've liked a little more support.

"Stephanie, we can't just ignore they exist. Regardless of our feelings, Tristan is their granddaughter."

"She's my daughter, I can do with her whatever I want, and my parents don't have any say in it. I don't want to invite them; I don't think they deserve it."

"And so you're just going to play this tug-of-war with them for the rest of our lives. When they think they have power, you hurt them then they hurt you and so on?" he asked.

"If that's how it has to be, then yes, that's what I want to do. Chris, my parents have said some things in the past few months that have hurt me deeply. The saddest part is they've been doing this my entire life. They wanted me to stay married, to have kids, and to never be discontent and stray away from the norm. I still remember the questions they asked when I was staying with them after I told Hunter about Tristan not being his. They stifled me with questions, and they buried me with looks of disapproval."

"But Stephanie, I'm just saying…"

"No Chris, and that's it. No. I didn't mean for my life to turn out this way. I thought that I would get married and that it would stick, but obviously that wasn't meant to be. The bottom line is: I like where my life has lead me. I love being with you, and I love Tristan more than words, and my parents don't and never will understand that."

"Fine, if it'll make you happy, we won't invite them. But they'll find out."

"Good," Stephanie said, "I hope they do."

She looked over Chris's shoulder and saw Tristan flipping through one of her picture books that happened to be sitting there. She started banging her cup on the ground and looking around. Stephanie went over to her and kneeled, looking at the book that Tristan was flipping through.

"Hey baby, do you want to take a bath?" Stephanie asked. Tristan smiled and babbled something, so Stephanie took her hand and helped her stand up. Tristan and she walked a few steps before Tristan looked back at her stuffed dog and whimpered a little at leaving it. "How about Daddy take your doggie and gives it a bath too so that you both smell good?"

Tristan whimpered some more and pulled on Stephanie's hand. Chris walked over and picked up the dog to take it to the laundry room. "Trist, he's just going to take a bath too, it's ok."

Stephanie let go of Tristan's hand for a moment to pick up the cup that Tristan had finished with. Tristan, who could stand by herself, saw Chris walking away with her prized stuffed dog. She didn't know what to do, but she wanted that dog; it was her most prized possession. She looked to her mommy, but Stephanie was rinsing out the cup that she had been drinking from. She whined a little and Stephanie turned her head just in time to see Tristan take a few steps on her own. Stephanie gasped.

"My God!" Stephanie screamed, causing Chris to turn around and catch Tristan walking towards him with her right hand extended.

"Tristan!" Chris said, kneeling down to the ground. "Oh my God, look baby girl, you're walking!"

Tristan didn't care as she had her eyes set on her dog. She looked at her mother who was making a lot of noise and realized that she had nothing there to support her. She glanced around again, her eyes wide at her own accomplishment. She teetered a little and her parents held their breaths. But all Tristan saw was her stuffed animal in Chris's hand and trudged on, making it to Chris. Chris scooped her up, much to her dismay because the toy she wanted was out of her reach.

"You did it Trist! You walked!" Chris exclaimed.

"I'm crying, I'm completely crying," Stephanie said, her face covered by her hands as she looked up. "My baby walked, my baby can walk, and she can move around by herself. When the hell did this happen! She's not a baby!"

"Were you walking to Daddy, huh baby, you didn't want Daddy to go," Chris said, kissing Tristan's forehead. Tristan didn't even look at him, but she couldn't outright say that it was her dog that she wanted and not him. She saw Chris put her dog down on the kitchen table and she pouted, but didn't have time to dwell on it as Stephanie came charging over and hugged Tristan from behind.

"Did you see that!" Stephanie exclaimed. "She walked! On her own!"

"Yeah, I saw Steph," Chris said with a kind laugh. Stephanie leaned over Tristan's shoulder to kiss Chris. Tristan had to actually move out of the way, and where she would usually push her parents apart, she didn't, she just kept staring at her dog on the table. She started to squirm and gesture towards it, reaching out towards the table. Chris pulled away and looked at her. "Trist, what are you doing?"

Tristan pointed towards her dog and Chris grabbed it for her and handed it to her, letting her hug it tightly. Stephanie looked at her for a moment and then turned to Chris. "Do you think that she was walking because she wanted her stuffed animal?"

Chris didn't respond.

The next Monday, the proud parents were back to work. Instead of Tristan being in a stroller, like she usually was, she was walking ahead of them, not by more than a few paces, but still, she was definitely walking on her own. Stephanie leaned into Chris, a smiled on her face as Chris wrapped his arm around her waist. He kept a keen eye on his daughter though, since it had only been a few days since she took those first big steps. She teetered a little bit, but managed to hold her own.

"Look at her go," Chris said proudly. "I've never seen anyone take to something so quickly. I think she'll be training for marathons soon. She can go."

"You are so biased," Stephanie laughed.

"And I'm not supposed to be."

"Well don't get cocky about it."

"Who's cocky? She's practically a genius already. She's the smartest baby I've ever seen. Not to mention she's cuter than any baby I've ever seen. Who was it that brought their kid last week? Some backstage worker or something? Well, I saw that baby, and yikes, I thought I was looking at an alien or something. But Tristan, I'm probably going to have to beat off the guys starting in pre-school she's so beautiful."

"And you say that's not cocky?" Stephanie said, nodding her head. "Chris, that's more ego than I've ever heard from anyone. I'm half-expecting you to start heralding the fact that you have super genes or something."

"Oh come on, you don't think she's just like I said?" Chris asked, giving her a stern look. Stephanie looked down and then cracked under the pressure.

"So it looked like an alien, I'm sure that it'll grow out of it. Like the Ugly Duckling. I mean, not every kid gets great genes, look at the two of us, we're gorgeous people," Stephanie said hastily.

"See, I told you."

While they were having this discussion, Tristan had reached the door, and started banging on it, waiting for someone to open it for her. Despite her new skills she wasn't nearly tall enough to reach the handle. Chris opened the door for her and for Stephanie and he got rewarded with two almost identical smiles.

Unfortunately the first people to see them were Vince and Linda. They had been walking out of a meeting and happened to pass by the entrance. Linda looked over and saw Stephanie walking next to Tristan, but instead of Tristan being tethered to Stephanie by the hand, Tristan was walking on her own. Linda made a move to go talk to them, wanting to know when and how Tristan took her first steps, but Stephanie caught her mother's eye first.

"Come on Trist, let's go," Stephanie said, picking Tristan up off the ground. Tristan disagreed and started to cry loudly, wanting to be put back on the ground. "Sweetie, we can walk around Daddy's locker room."

Stephanie walked off quickly, not giving her parents a second glance. Chris felt pretty awkward standing there, but Vince and Linda were now approaching him. He loved Stephanie and didn't want to defy her and her wishes to keep her parents out of their lives, but they did look a little disappointed that Stephanie had taken off so quickly. He looked more closely and they looked more than disappointed.

"I'm sorry about that," Chris said, feeling compelled to apologize. "She just needed to…go change Tristan."

"Oh," Linda said softly, turning her head towards the direction that Stephanie had stormed off in. "When did Tristan start to walk?"

Chris smiled despite himself; he was just too proud not to want to talk about his daughter's achievement. "This weekend. We were just in the kitchen and Stephanie and I were looking away and we turned back and she was walking towards me. She's been walking ever since. She's really good at it."

Linda and Vince both saw how proud he was about Tristan, and how happy and involved he was. It caused Linda to speak up. "I know that Stephanie is irritated with us, and I don't know how much she told you about what we discussed--"

"She told me everything," Chris answered. He hadn't let what she said get to him though, because he knew it all to be lies. He knew how much he loved Tristan and Stephanie and so he hadn't put much stock into Linda's words.

"I see," Linda said slowly, nodding her head to her words. "I'm sorry I said them. In hindsight, it was wrong of me. Sometimes I'm more McMahon than Vince, Shane, or Stephanie. I know that she's upset with me, and I know that it won't automatically be better, but I just wanted to apologize to her, and to you, especially you. I don't know you well enough to dictate whether or not you would abandon my daughter and grandchild, and I basically called you some things I shouldn't have, especially because I know that you love both my girls."

Chris looked down a moment, then looked up at them. "I want you to know that the things you said aren't true, and I never felt they could be true. I know that you don't think very highly of me because of what happened with me and Stephanie that resulted in Tristan. But I've loved the both of them for so long, Stephanie I've loved since she was pregnant, and the second, the moment that I found out about Tristan, there was no stopping me from loving that little girl."

"I know you love them, and it makes me feel safer knowing that the two of them are in good hands."

"Well, if anyone can take care of herself, it's Stephanie. That woman has nerves of steel. But I just want to be with her, and I do love her, despite your initial opinions of me."

"Do you think she'll forgive us?" Vince asked. "We've been bad parents, and bad grandparents."

"I don't know. That's something you'll have to take up with Stephanie."

"She's very angry?" Linda asked.

"She's pretty angry. But Linda, don't put it off, Stephanie is a lot more approachable than you'd think."

Chris hoped the rift could be settled; he really didn't like to be the go-between.

"We'll see how it all works out."

"Just try, I'm sure it'll help."


	64. Chapter 64

"Where have you been?"

"I was outside, not outside the arena, but I was in the hallway," Chris answered.

"So you were talking to them?" Stephanie asked testily. She turned to Tristan and handed her some Cheerios. Tristan walked over to the little table that was set up for her and set the Cheerios down one by one, then picked them up and eat them. Stephanie also put a sippy cup of juice on the table for her. Chris knew that she was just trying to busy herself.

"Yes, I was talking to them Steph," Chris answered, not moving from his spot near the door.

"Fine," she answered shortly, her eyes still intently on Tristan.

"Stephanie, your mom apologized to me."

"That's nice," she said dully, not really a positive answer. She didn't care what her parents did NOW, it was what they had done before that had angered her so. Her mother should not have anything to apologize about because she never should've said the things she had said.

"Steph, come on," Chris pleaded, sitting down on the couch near her. "Don't you think that you should talk to them?"

"No, I don't want to talk to them."

"So you're really never going to talk to them again?" Chris asked. Stephanie turned to look at him, and she had the most serious expression on her face. It was impassive and cool, in the scariest way.

"I don't see why I should."

"They're your parents."

"I don't care," she told him. "They were out of line. My dad about my job, and then my mother about you. I'm not going to stand for that, you shouldn't either. My mother said you were going to be a deadbeat dad."

"But Stephanie, we both know that's not true," Chris replied, taking her hand in his. "Your mother made a mistake, don't you think that you should give her another chance to make up for it?"

"No."

"Stephanie, you made a mistake with Tristan and keeping me from her, but you tried to correct it, and I forgave you. I welcomed you back into my life. Don't you think that you should do the same thing with your parents?"

Chris knew that he had Stephanie licked with that one. There was no denying that she had made a complete blunder in her handling of the situation with Tristan. If Chris could get her to see that even she made mistakes of massive proportions, then she would see that sometimes people deserved a second chance. Stephanie stayed quiet for a moment, and then looked at him.

"So you're going to hold that against me?" she asked disbelievingly.

"I'm not holding anything against you, I'm just saying that you shouldn't be so quick to judge. People make mistakes. They love Tristan, Steph, and they love you too. I don't think you should be denying them either of you."

Stephanie looked over to Tristan, who was just finishing up the handful of Cheerios, grabbing for her sippy cup and drinking her juice. Tristan caught sight of Stephanie looking at her and she smiled around the cup, a little bit of juice dribbling out of her mouth. Stephanie reached over and wiped her mouth with the bib hanging around her neck. Chris was thinking that he had finally gotten through to her.

"Maybe."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe you're right," Stephanie conceded. "But I'm going to wait for them to make the next move. I'm not going to be the one crawling back to them. If they want to talk to me, then they're going to have to come here and talk to me, not the other way around."

Chris smiled surreptitiously and kissed the top of her head, "That's all I ask."

"Right now though, I promised to meet with Hunter."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"He wants to show me the ring that he's going to give Stacy when he proposes. He wants me to see it and see if I like it," Stephanie said, standing up and going over to give Tristan some more Cheerios.

"Why no, that's not weird at all, why do you ask," Chris said to himself as Stephanie gave him a strange look, tilting her head to the side to regard him.

"I know that it's weird. I'm going to see the ring that my ex-husband is going to give to his girlfriend, but there is no love between Hunter and me anymore. He's a friend, and since I'm a girl, he feels like my opinion would be a good one to get."

"If you say so," Chris shrugged.

"And maybe this'll give me ideas for rings I might want in the future," Stephanie said slyly, winking at Chris. He groaned; they hadn't been together for that long and she was already thinking marriage. Ok, so it wasn't an out there notion, considering that they had already skipped the marriage part and gone straight to the kids part.

"And Steph, if you see your parents?" Chris asked her.

"I'm not going to initiate conversation with them."

"Stephanie, come on now," Chris told her.

"Chris, why the hell are you on their side! You're supposed to be on my side, not theirs!"

"Stephanie, I'm trying to do what's right by my family! You and Tristan are my family, and Stephanie, they're your parents, I don't want to be the person that comes between you and your parents…"

Stephanie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "You mean more to me than they do. If it came down to a choice 100 times out of 100, I will choose you over them. It's a no-brainer for me."

"But I'd rather you not have to choose," he argued. He knew that Stephanie did love her parents. He figured that she wouldn't even have entered the company had it not made her parents immensely happy. Stephanie loved the business, but she loved being in front of it more than anything. She was so smart, she could be a huge asset to any company she wanted, but she wanted to make her parents proud of her in this company, and he knew that she loved them.

"Well, they gave me no choice, didn't they?" Stephanie said. "I mean, they insult you, the man that I love, the man that I want to be with forever, FOREVER. And they did the same thing with Hunter, they treated him badly too, before he really did something wrong that is."

"So they're protective, is that really a reason to just shut them out of your life?"

"Yes, because I'm sick and tired of being treated like my decisions are bad ones, or the wrong ones. I like to think that I've made pretty good decisions with my life. I like where I've ended up, and if they don't like it, well they can shove it."

"Stephanie, I'm telling you right now, I'm not making you choose me, I would rather leave you than make you choose."

"Oh my God!" she screamed, "That's bull! You've got to be kidding me, you're giving me a damn ultimatum!"

"No, I'm telling you that you should talk to them!"

"Fine, maybe I choose none of you!" she yelled, not really knowing what she was saying. "Maybe I choose Tristan, maybe she's the only one I choose."

Tristan looked over at her mother when she heard her name being said, taken aback by her behavior. She went back to her Cheerios quickly. She saw her dog on the couch though, and walked over to get it before returning to her Cheerios. She was a smart little cookie, knowing not to get involved into this argument. She was already ahead of the game, knowing that arguing with Stephanie McMahon was not the way you wanted to do things.

"Fine, choose her, see what happens!" Chris said, raising his hands in frustration and exasperation.

"I'm leaving," Stephanie said angrily, stomping out of the room. Chris sighed and thought about going after her, but what good would it do? Stephanie was Stephanie and he knew that he wasn't going to fight with her.

Instead he went over to Tristan and sat on the floor next to where she was standing. She had set her dog on the table in front of her while she crunched on some Cheerios, spreading them across the table. Chris pushed them all into one little pile and she scowled at him, like he had ruined a masterpiece.

"Don't you go be mad at me too," he said, laughing. Tristan scrunched up her face and then kissed his cheek, getting Cheerio crumbs on his cheek. He smiled and kissed her back, minus the crumbs. "You're Mommy is so stubborn sometimes."

Tristan laughed and looked like she was nodding in agreement.

"So you agree huh? Well, at least I'm not alone. But God do I love her," Chris lamented, staring at the door. "Heaven help me."

Stephanie was sitting on a crate reading the script for the show that she had taken from a production assistant. Chris had a promo with her and with Edge, who he was feuding with at the moment. She felt somebody sit next to her and saw Lita and smiled.

"What's up Lita?" Stephanie asked.

"Nothing, I'm seriously bored though. My husband is watching old matches with Jeff and Trish. But I think Trish is just as bored, but Jeff won't let her leave."

"Fun," Stephanie said sarcastically.

"So how've you been? We all know you've been working hard, and then suddenly you're not working," Lita said, not having really talked with Stephanie in a while, since Tristan was taking up a lot of her time.

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone knows by now that I quit, so I'm only on-screen. It's better this way, with Tristan and everything."

"Hey, if you ever need me to baby-sit for you, please don't hesitate to ask. I think I'm going to need the practice, and what better way to practice then with Tristan. Of course, then I'm going to have high expectations because she's the perfect kid."

"Lita…are you saying that you're…pregnant?" Stephanie asked incredulously.

"Might be," Lita said sneakily. "I'm not sure yet, I have a doctor's appointment in a couple days, but it's a possibility."

"I hope you're not wrestling tonight."

"No, I'm not wrestling tonight, I'm just going out with Matt during his match, but I'm staying a safe distance from the ring," Lita answered. "I don't know yet though, it's just a feeling you know."

"Trust me, I know," she answered, then leaned over to hug her friend. "Congratulations if you are."

"Thanks," Lita answered, returning the hug. "When did you know about Tristan? Did you have the quintessential throwing up in the morning and weird cravings thing?"

"Actually, no, I was just feeling really kind of tired, and then I checked the date, realized I was late, and then took a pregnancy test which came up positive. I did it in an arena actually, there was nothing magical about it."

"Oh, that must've sucked," Lita said sympathetically.

"Does Matt know?"

"Yeah, Matt knows, he's excited, but he's trying to keep it to himself you know, until we know, but I figured that you could know because if I do have one, you're going to have to be my guru, I don't know anything about kids. Animals, sure, but kids, not a chance."

"And you think I did?" Stephanie laughed. "I was so absolutely clueless about them."

"Well, now you're not, and Tristan is the perfect kid; she's the most awesome little kid I've ever met. If I could be guaranteed that I'd get one like her, it would make this far less scary."

"Well, if you want the practice, she's in Chris's locker room right now, she's having a snack right now, but you know how she'd love to see you."

"Cool, I think I'll head over there, see you Steph," Lita said, hopping off the crate and walking away.

Stephanie was happy for her friend. Having a kid really changed you. She hopped off the crate herself and walked to Hunter's locker room, hoping that Stacy wasn't around so she could see Hunter alone. She knocked on the door and waited. Hunter answered the door, already in his ring gear, though the show wasn't set to start for another hour or so. She smiled and gave a wave.

"Bad time?"

"No, great time," he said, letting her in. "Stacy and Torrie went out to get food and so you can come see the ring."

"I'm excited," she told him, sitting down on the couch. "So when are you going to be doing this proposing?"

"I'm not sure, sometime within the next two weeks," he answered, rooting through his bag to look for the ring that he had kept meticulously hidden from his girlfriend. Upon finding it, he took the box and sat down next to Stephanie, opening it up for her to see.

"Oh Hunter, this is so sudden," Stephanie joked. Hunter just shook his head.

"Yeah, like I'd propose to you, you know I'd just drug you and marry you."

"Oh yeah, that's how you like to do things with me," Stephanie giggled, taking the ring from him. It was a simple ring, nothing too fancy, but she figured that Stacy wasn't too fancy. She seemed really down-to-earth, even though Stephanie barely knew the girl, since Stacy felt uncomfortable around her. It was a gold band with a large princess-cut diamond with two smaller diamonds on either side. "It's beautiful Hunter."

"You think she'll like it."

"I don't see how any girl wouldn't," she told him. "She's going to be so happy."

"I hope so. I know this is weird for you, given the circumstances…" he trailed off, not exactly knowing how to proceed with this awkward subject.

"No, it's not weird. Hunter, what happened between us…it's in the past, and should bear nothing on how we are now. I think we just should've been friends all along, despite how I loved you. We were really just too different."

"Yeah, we were," he agreed. "I love her Steph, so much…"

"I know you do," she said, patting his knee. "It's ok to say it to me, I love Chris, even when he pisses me off."

"Which I'm guessing is often."

"You guessed right."

"I better put this away because if she comes in here, I'm screwed."

"I'll draw less suspicion on you, and leave," Stephanie said, getting up.

"You don't have to."

"I better though. Chris and I are fighting and I should probably apologize."

"What this time?"

"I'm a bitch," she answered simply. "And Chris? Like always, he is the rock."

"See you Steph."

"Later Hunter, and good luck."

Stephanie walked out of his locker room and she couldn't help but think about how all of her friends were having these life-changing things happen to them. They were so happy and she was envious of them. Her life was screwed-up right now, in spite of the good things (Tristan, Chris…and well, Tristan and Chris), and she hated fighting with her parents, but she hated fighting with Chris more.

Why Chris still loved her after she yelled at him constantly, she had yet to figure out. But she was jealous that her friends were all moving forward in their life, and she seemed to be regressing, having lost her job and everything. Maybe she wasn't really regressing, but that's what it felt like. She felt like a failure, like she was drowning in disappointment. She was a disappointment to her parents, and she was a disappointment to Chris because she wouldn't let up about her parents. She was suffocating.

She quickly left the building, not knowing where she was going, but knowing that she had to be gone.


	65. Chapter 65

Chris looked at his watch again. Stephanie had been gone for over an hour and he didn't know where she was. She had been so crabby lately, and he didn't know exactly the reason why. She was upset over her parents, yeah, but it seemed to be more than that. He couldn't put his finger on it. But she was seriously on edge lately.

He looked over at Tristan, who was leaning against the back of the couch, sinking into it a little and looking very comfortable. She looked up at Chris and smiled lazily, already looking sleepy. He sat down next to her, leaning back against the couch and mimicking her position. He smiled and held her hand carefully, leaning down to kiss her palm. Tristan crawled to her father and laid her head against her lap.

"Do you know where your mommy is?" Chris asked her, looking down at her again.

Tristan didn't know, and couldn't have known since the last time that she had seen Stephanie was the last time that Chris had seen Stephanie. Chris sunk down farther and farther into the couch until he was eye-level with his daughter. He turned to her and gave an exaggerated sigh, which Tristan giggled at, not knowing that her mother was fleeing.

Stephanie was running towards their rental car, finding it extremely lucky that she had yet to put the keys in her purse. She didn't know where she was going exactly, but she was feeling so odd, she had been feeling so odd lately. Just completely off, and she could think of nothing that would make her feel this way except for feeling horrible about her life. Maybe none of this was what she wanted. Maybe she needed to get away from everyone.

Before she could contemplate all of this happening, however, she tripped and fell, twisting her ankle. She cried out in pain, but there was nobody there to hear her. She had just reached her car and she winced, grabbing instinctively for her ankle. She leaned against the car and sighed, trying to not focus on the pain shooting in her ankle. She knew that it was going to be sprained, at least.

She reached inside her pocket and grabbed her cell phone, dialing Chris's number, knowing that he would answer it. She waited and waited, and it felt like an eternity because her ankle felt like something was exploding inside. She really couldn't make it anywhere, and she knew that if she stood up she would immediately collapse and feel even worse.

"Stephanie, where are you?" Chris asked as he answered the phone. He had seen her name on the caller ID.

"I'm out in the parking lot," she said, frustrated with herself, "I need you to come get me."

"Why?" Chris asked with a laugh, "Have you forgotten how to walk?"

"No," she said sarcastically, "I fell and hurt my ankle, and I can't walk, and unless you want me to freeze out here, you'll come and get me."

"You fell! How did you fall!"

"I was running, and these heels are not good for that, and yeah, I twisted my ankle, and can you please come out here. I'm right next to the car."

"Fine," Chris sighed, "You're lucky I'm not on until the end of the show."

"I know, trust me," she said, against sarcastically.

Chris hung up the phone and stood up. He turned to Tristan and felt bad that he would have to pick her up because she looked so comfortable. He picked her up and she whined, looking down at the couch again. "Sorry beautiful, Daddy has to go help Mommy because she's a bit of a klutz. Can you say klutz?"

Tristan just giggled and leaned against Chris. He opened the door and went in search of his girlfriend. He didn't even want to know why Stephanie was running around in heels, unless she had seen her mother and decided to make a run for it instead of talk to her like Chris had suggested. That would be so like Stephanie to just run from her problems. She was so lucky to have him, he thought, with a cocky grin no less.

He walked outside, and felt that it was a bit nippy so he held Tristan closer to him, so she didn't get cold. He walked back out to where their car was and saw Stephanie sitting against the car, still holding her ankle. Chris cleared his throat and she looked up gratefully as Chris set down Tristan who walked over to Stephanie and put her arm on her shoulder, like she was giving her mother support.

Chris just sighed, "You're a piece of work, you know that McMahon?"

"I know," she said with a faint smile. "I didn't mean to do this."

"Yeah, I figured because I don't know anyone who would deliberately get hurt. Unless this is some weird plan of yours, but even you can't be that far out there to injure yourself."

"Just call it stupidity," she said. "It's not broken."

"Thank God," Chris muttered. He carefully took her ankle in his hands and looked at it. It was definitely swollen and bruised, but didn't look horribly bad. He shook his head and sent her a look of consternation. She frowned and looked to Tristan, who gave her a kiss.

"Thanks, Mommy needed that," Stephanie told her daughter.

"Ok, well, we're going to have to get you to the trainer," Chris said. "Just to be sure."

"Chris, before we do that, I need to tell you a couple of things," Stephanie said uneasily.

"Ok," he said, sitting cross-legged facing her, and waiting for her to continue.

"I was out here because I was running away," Stephanie said. "From everything, and I had no clue where I was going."

"I see," Chris nodded. "Well, that's ok, because you would've come back. You probably just needed to drive around a while."

"No, I mean, I was going to leave for good."

Chris just laughed, heartily and deeply, "No, you wouldn't have, you would've gotten two blocks, realized you were leaving Tristan, turned around and slapped your head for being so stupid."

Stephanie let herself laugh, "You're completely right, and then I would've swung to some fast food place, picked up some food and then pigged out until I felt better."

"Exactly, I'm not worried about you going any place," he said, tapping her knee with his hand. "But what made you feel bad enough to do that?"

"I don't know," she said, "I've just been feeling weird lately, and I'd like to blame that on my mom and dad, but I know that's not it. I think that…well, I guess this brings up the second thing I wanted to tell you."

"Ok, is this about how you ARE going to talk to your parents and then we can all be one, big, happy family again?"

"No, but…well, the family part is right," Stephanie said carefully. "I had some time to think while I was waiting for you to get out here, and I thought about why I was feeling so crappy and blah for the past couple of weeks."

"Uh huh," he said, prodding her story along.

"I…I don't know how to say this."

"So then you just pretty much say it," Chris said, still wanting to know what she was going on about. It was getting really chilly, and he still had to get ready for his match later on that night, so he didn't have any time to sit around and discuss this with her.

"I think I'm pregnant again," she said helplessly, her eyes filling with tears, but none of them spilling over onto her cheek.

Chris's eyes widened and he leaned back against the car that was in back of him. The news had shot at him like a bullet, and he had to sit back. Stephanie was pregnant…again? Well, at least this time, if it was true, she had told him first. But Tristan wasn't even a year old, and they were going to have another baby. He loved his daughter unconditionally, but another one? This was twice as scary.

"Um…what makes you think that?"

"Well, I'm a few days late," she started, wincing slightly, "And I feel the same way that I did when I was pregnant with Tristan. Like I'm in this really huge funk, and I don't know how to get out of it."

"But you haven't been throwing up," Chris pointed out. "No morning sickness."

"I didn't really have that with Tristan either," Stephanie told him, "I was lucky. I just felt like I was feeling sick, without being too sick."

"Another baby…"

"I know, I didn't plan this, I mean, we didn't plan this, it just sort of happened, and I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry, if you are, then it's our responsibility. Oh my God, another baby," Chris said, completely shell-shocked.

"I know that this is such a bad time."

"Steph, if you are, I mean, you know that I won't go anywhere, I mean, this isn't like last time, not at all. We already have a child, I mean, this wouldn't change anything in our relationship, because we have a daughter, so it would just be another child. You would NEVER have to worry about me leaving you or anything," Chris said firmly, making sure that she knew that first and foremost.

"Oh, I know that," she said, wrapping her arm around Tristan's waist. "I'm just so scared because we didn't think about this, or plan this. I mean, Trist is just a baby, and then another baby. How are we going to work this out?"

"Before we get ahead of ourselves, I think that we should find out if you are."

"I don't want anyone to know," Stephanie said quickly. "Not until we're sure."

"Me neither, even though Tristan knows, but this is like a family meeting anyways," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "We'll go get that ankle of yours checked out, and then after the show, we'll hit a grocery store, pick up a pregnancy test, and we'll find out whether or not this is going to happen."

"You're so logical," she said admiringly.

"Well, this is the fear talking now," Chris said with a shaky chuckle. He stood up slightly and then bent over to pick up Stephanie and hold her in his arms. "Trist, can you walk ahead of Daddy please."

Tristan obeyed and started walking, checking back occasionally to make sure that her parents were behind her and that she was going the right way. Chris and Stephanie both looked at her, and they saw someone they loved and adored, but they both weren't sure that they wanted another one so soon after Tristan. She was only eleven months old.

"You know, if we do have another one on the way, I'll love them and spoil them," Chris whispered to Stephanie.

She smiled wistfully, "I know, so would I."

"Ok, just so you know."

Chris helped his girls into the building and they headed for the trainer. But they were stopped on their way there by Jeff and Trish, who were holding hands and walking down the hallway. Trish rushed over to see what the matter with Stephanie was, and Jeff followed behind her. Trish looked very worried and wondered what was going on.

"Stephanie, what happened?" Trish asked, looking over her friend.

Stephanie pointed towards her ankle, "I was stupid, and twisted my ankle."

"Oh, you poor thing," Trish said, looking at the swollen ankle in question. "I hope you're going to the trainer."

"That's where we're headed right now actually," Chris explained.

"Do you want us to take care of Tristan for you?" Jeff asked, eyeing Tristan who was standing right next to her father's leg.

"That would be a great help," Stephanie said. "Did you hear that Trist? Jeff and Trish are going to play with you."

Tristan smiled and held her arms open to Jeff. She loved his hair because it was so colorful and she had never seen anything like it. Not to mention he was really fun to be around. Jeff picked her up and she played with the necklaces he had around his neck. He smiled down at her as she was fascinated by the jewelry.

"We'll go get her things in your locker room," Trish said on behalf of her and Jeff, "And you feel better ok Steph?"

"I'll try," Stephanie said. She watched Jeff walk away with Tristan and instinctively her hand went to her own stomach, which only Chris noticed. She gave him a wary grin as they continued on their way. "It wouldn't be so bad would it?"

"It wouldn't be bad," Chris said, then looked at her. "The timing is just off. We haven't even discussed more kids."

"I want more," she answered.

"I do too, I just thought that Tristan would be a little bit older when we did you know? Give us time to really enjoy her and then we could enjoy another little one."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted too," she said as she helped him push the door open to the trainer.

He sat her down on the table and the trainer came over to look at her ankle. It wasn't as bad as they originally had thought. It wasn't sprained, she had just bruised it. He gave Stephanie a cane that she could walk with and it didn't hurt to put a little pressure on it. She was thankful that she hadn't really hurt herself, but the bruise on her ankle still looked ugly.

"You want to go now?" Stephanie asked, wondering if Chris had time before his match to go get the pregnancy test.

"Yeah, I think I have a few minutes. You stay here, I'll go pick one up ok?"

"You're the best," Stephanie said as she walked slowly towards Chris's locker room. Chris parted ways with a kiss and she walked into Chris's locker room only to find her mother sitting there, seemingly waiting for her.

"Stephanie, what happened?" Linda asked, concern etched in her face.

"It's nothing," she said curtly. "I twisted my ankle, but it's just bruised, I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize, and hoped that you would forgive me."

"I know Chris has forgiven you, but I know these antics far too well," Stephanie replied. "Why should I forgive you?"

"Because I want to have you and Tristan in my life, and in your father's life as well. It's been killing us to be away from you two."

"Then you should've accepted that Chris is a good father and that he would never desert Tristan!" Stephanie exclaimed, adding on, "or any other kids," in her mind.

"Yes, I know that now, and I'm truly sorry for what I said. I never should've said it, plainly and simply, but I wasn't thinking. I just wanted you back, and I'm sorry for hurting your feelings and Chris's feelings."

"Chris told me that I should talk to you, and that I should forgive you, and because I love him, I'm willing to forgive you," she said. She might be having another child, she couldn't deny her parents that chance.

"Thank you Stephanie," Linda said, going over to hug her daughter gingerly. "Where is Tristan?"

"She's with Jeff and Trish," Stephanie answered. "They offered to take care of her while Chris took me to the trainer to get my ankle checked. She likes Jeff a lot."

"And she's walking now," Linda said excitedly. "I was shocked to see that."

"Yeah, she's a natural," Stephanie said, a proud smile coming over her face.

"If you ever need a baby-sitter, you know where to find me right?" Linda asked.

"Of course," Stephanie said. "And Tristan loves to be around you and Dad because you spoil her rotten. Oh, and Mom…we're having a party for Tristan, for her first birthday, and Chris and I would love it if you could join us."

It had been a big thing for Stephanie to do that. She was still hurt by her mother's harsh words, but she knew that she'd regret it someday, not inviting them to their first grandchild's very first birthday. Tristan would only have one first birthday, and it really would be a shame for Vince and Linda to miss it. This was Stephanie's way of extending the olive branch.

"We wouldn't be anywhere else," Linda said happily.

"Good," Stephanie said, giving her mother a genuine smile. "We're really looking forward to it. We didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but we kind of want to, partly because it's her first birthday and partly because Chris didn't get to be there for her birth, and, well, he still regrets that."

"I understand."

"I should've asked him to come," Stephanie said regretfully. "I should've told the truth about it."

"He understands sweetie," Linda said, falling into her motherly mode. "I'm sure he understands."

"I know he does," Stephanie answered, happy to have someone to confide in. "But it still hurts him, I know that. He didn't even know that I had had a girl until Tristan was six days old, and he only found out by accident."

"You were scared."

"Yeah, I was…but now I'm starting to think that I wasn't afraid of what I thought I was afraid of at the time. I think I was more afraid of these feelings I had for Chris rather than sparing Hunter's feelings. It was just so much easier to stay in the place that I was rather than face something I didn't even know would work."

"It's always easy to stay in one spot and never change, but sometimes change can be fantastic."

Stephanie came to see that having another baby wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, or bad timing, it would just be facing something she didn't know. Staying in one spot was fine, but she didn't have to stay in one spot. She and Chris could move forward and they could do this whole baby thing right this time. Chris could be there for every appointment, every kick, every craving, and, most important of all, he could be there for the birth of his child.

She had denied him that right the first time, and she would always regret that. She had been selfish, taking their child and making it her child. But this time, she could have him there, and he could hold her hand and talk her through it, and it would be right, and it would be perfect, like it should've been last time.

Maybe she could give him what he didn't have.


	66. Chapter 66

A/N: Question: Do you guys want Stephanie to be pregnant or not? I have both possibilities clanging in my head, and I'm really, really undecided, so let me know what you want, and maybe it'll help me decide. :)

* * *

Stephanie sat with Tristan on the floor as they played with some of Tristan's blocks. Stephanie's official job was handing Tristan the blocks, while Tristan made what looked to Stephanie, a masterpiece. But that was probably just her motherly pride kicking in. When Tristan had all the blocks in her possession, Stephanie was pleased just to watch her daughter make whatever she saw fit with the blocks. 

Having another one of her wouldn't be so bad, she thought to herself. She loved Tristan with all her heart, and she delighted in every little thing that Tristan did. She didn't know how she had ever thought she was happy without her. It wasn't even that thing where women changed after they had a child, they were more worldly and wise, and had an understanding of the universe; Stephanie just liked her kid. Tristan was just a cool, little kid who had a smile for everyone, even Big Show, who she was still terrified of.

If she got another one like Tristan, it would be great because Tristan was great. Stephanie had not one complaint about her daughter. She had been pretty good with the whole sleeping thing when she was a newborn, she was never colicky, she was beautiful, and personable, and she had a personality that was one part Stephanie and one part Chris, the best parts too, not the parts where they were whiny and self-centered. And Tristan was kind too, Stephanie had seen her try to share her toys with everyone in the company, which was funny sometimes. You haven't lived until you've seen a baby try to give the Undertaker a doll.

"Hey Trist?" Stephanie asked.

"Ma?" Tristan said back, looking up from her blocks to Stephanie.

"What would you think if Mommy had another baby?"

"Ta co do tay," she answered happily.

"Did you just say you wanted a taco?" Stephanie said with a laugh. Tristan stood up and walked to stand in front of Stephanie, teetering a little bit. She handed Stephanie a block. "Thanks, but now I want a taco."

"Cer lo fe."

"Can you say Mama?" Stephanie asked. "Because that would be a big help. Daddy thinks that you're going to say Dada first, but we don't want Daddy to be right, do we?"

Tristan laughed and shook her head, imitating Stephanie. Stephanie hugged Tristan a little and kissed her cheek. No, it definitely wouldn't be so bad to have another one. She and Chris already knew what it was like, they had already traveled down the path of parenthood, and she would say they were doing a pretty good job. Could they be better? Sure, they could've given Tristan a solid home instead of traveling every week, but some things you just couldn't help. And Tristan did love being on the road, or at least she seemed to because she never complained about it.

"You'd like a brother or sister, wouldn't you?"

Tristan looked at her and frowned a little, "Ba?"

"You want some juice?"

"Ba!" Tristan yelled. Stephanie recognized that was the syllable that she used when she wanted her juice. Tristan wasn't talking yet, but Chris and Stephanie felt it was just around the corner. Their daughter had probably decided that she would top her walking skills with her speaking skills so that she could be the center of attention once again. Stephanie looked around and realized that she didn't have any cold juice with her, and warm juice was just gross.

"Ok, we'll get your juice, I think we have some in catering, do you want to come with Mommy to get some?"

"Ba!"

"Yes, yes, your ba, I know," Stephanie said, pulling herself up. "Mommy can't carry you, so you're going to have to walk all right?"

"Ba!"

Stephanie just laughed and grabbed the cane that the trainer had given her. Tristan looked concerned as her mother had to struggle. She frowned and pouted, until Stephanie went and retrieved the clean sippy cup from Tristan's diaper bag. That's when her eyes lit up. Stephanie and Chris had gotten her off the bottle during the days, and onto the sippy cup, even though Tristan liked to have a bottle before she went to bed at night.

"Ok, let's go get some ba," Stephanie said, opening the door. Tristan walked out in front of her, and they went towards catering. The two of them were walking at almost the same pace because Stephanie couldn't move that fast anyways. When they got to catering, Tristan saw Hunter and started walking quickly over to him, babbling the entire time.

"Hey you!" Hunter said as he spotted the little girl. "Did you walk here all by yourself?"

"Yeah, she did," Stephanie said, finally making it over. "Aren't you proud Uncle Hunter?"

"I'm so proud," Hunter said, scooping Tristan up in his arms. "I had heard you were walking Trist, but I had to see it to believe it. And what happened to your Mommy?"

"Bruised ankle because I need to learn that running in heels is never a good idea," Stephanie said. "Can you watch her for a second? She wants some juice in her sippy cup."

"Ba!" Tristan said grinning at Hunter.

"Of course, I always love seeing my little Tristan," he told her, setting her down on the table so that she could sit down.

"Trist, I'm going to get you some dinner too, you hungry?"

Tristan didn't respond and Stephanie left to go get some juice. She found a bottle of apple juice, and quickly filled the sippy cup, taking it back over to Tristan. Tristan took it happily and started drinking from it immediately, a contented smile forming on her lips every time she pulled away to take a breath. Stephanie went back over to the food area, and picked some soft items that she knew Tristan could eat and then grabbed a plate for herself, walking back over.

"Here you go baby," Stephanie said, setting the plate down in front of Tristan. "Hunter, would you be my hero and get the highchair that we keep in our locker room?"

"Yeah, sure," Hunter said, handing Tristan to Stephanie and then leaving the room. Stephanie pushed Tristan's plate closer to her and Tristan grabbed a piece of macaroni off the plate and ate it, while Stephanie worked on her food. They didn't notice that Chris had just walked by quickly, and he had not spotted them.

Chris was walking towards his locker room, the pregnancy test in his hand. He was so nervous he could almost feel himself shaking, but he was trying desperately to calm his nerves. If Stephanie was pregnant again…well, he didn't know what he'd do. Would he be jubilant? Or would he be terrified? Well, he didn't think that he would be terrified because he already had a child, but this was going to be different, it had to be.

This time, it wouldn't be a secret from him. Stephanie had told him even when she just suspected she might be pregnant. And if she did turn out to be pregnant, then he would be there, he would be there like Hunter had gotten to be there the last time. He would get to go to every doctor's appointment, and he would get to feel his child kick inside of Stephanie, and he would get to monitor how big she got, and he would get to do it first-hand, and not from afar.

But still, having Tristan in his life was like a kick in the pants for him. He thought he made a good dad, but he wasn't too sure. He just loved his daughter unconditionally and hoped that he was doing his best. He really thought that he would get to have more time with just Tristan before he had another child, before he and Stephanie had another child. He kept walking, getting to his locker room and pushing the door open blindly.

"Well, I got the thing," Chris said, looking up and feeling shocked when he saw Hunter standing there and not his girlfriend. "Wow Steph, you sure have let yourself go in the twenty minutes I was gone."

"Very funny Jericho," Hunter said. "Steph and Tristan are eating dinner in catering, and Steph asked me to come get Tristan's highchair."

"Oh," Chris nodded. "That's makes sense. Um…I'll meet them up there, tell them that."

"Ok…what's the thing you had to get?" Hunter asked curiously, eyeing the plastic bag that Chris was holding. Definitely too small for diapers.

"Nothing," Chris said quickly. "Just…something we needed."

"Secretive, nice," Hunter nodded. He was now even more curious. "And you're not going to tell me."

"No, I'm not," Chris said, gripping the bag tighter. "It's personal."

"And that isn't supposed to make me want to know. Maybe I can get it out of Stephanie."

"Try it," Chris said. "I'd love to see if she tells you. She did tell me about you and Stacy though, congratulations."

"Thanks," Hunter smiled. "I figured it was about time I made our relationship legit. I know that we…didn't start off well, but I think that we can end well."

"That's good, Stephanie really is happy for you, you know. I know that you may think she's uncomfortable with all of this, but she really isn't."

"I think you and Tristan are a big part of that," Hunter answered. "It's hard to feel uncomfortable when you feel pretty good about your life. I mean, our lives just moved in different directions, nobody's fault."

"Yeah, you're right," Chris said. "But still, good luck with Stacy. I think she'll be easier than Stephanie."

"Anybody's got to be easier than Stephanie," Hunter said, picking up the highchair. "Look, I'm divorced from her and I'm still doing her bidding. Stephanie is one powerful woman."

"Lord knows," Chris said. "I'll let you get that to her though, Tristan likes her highchair. Mostly to bang on it, but still."

"Bye man," Hunter said amicably and Chris nodded. As soon as Hunter was out the door, he went and stuffed the pregnancy test into Tristan's diaper bag, figuring that nobody would look for it there. They would just have to take the test later, even though he was anxious to find out now. He hadn't known which test to get, and so he just grabbed the one that looked the easiest, and he hoped that it worked.

Hunter, meanwhile, was just setting the highchair down for Stephanie. He put Tristan into it and though she whined a little, as soon as Stephanie put her plate and sippy cup down, she was happy and bubbly, and concentrated mostly on picking up the food in front of her and making it to her mouth, clapping proudly for herself whenever she was able to do it.

"Chris told me that he'll meet up with you in a few minutes. I ran into him when I was getting Tristan's highchair."

"Oh," Stephanie said, gulping nervously, hoping that Hunter didn't pick up on it. He did; he had not been married to Stephanie for two years without picking up on her inflections.

"Steph, what's up? Everything is ok, isn't it?" Hunter asked, knowing that Chris had almost the same reaction when he asked what was in the bag.

"Yeah, it's fine," Stephanie said, smiling, and then looking over at Tristan to wipe some of the food off her face. Tristan swatted her hand away and went back to eating her food.

"There's nothing wrong with Tristan right?"

"NO!" Stephanie said, a little louder than she had intended. "Tristan is fine. Look at her, she's a little monster. Although she won't talk in full words yet. But 'ba' means her cup and some juice."

"So then what's wrong? I know something's wrong."

"Hunter…don't pry, please," Stephanie pleaded. She wasn't really ready to discuss this with anyone besides Chris. Things were still so up in the air that she didn't want to jinx it or anything.

"But there is something going on? I could sense it with Chris, and I know it with you, there's something going on."

"Hunter, stop," Stephanie said, "Because this-"

"Hey you," Chris said, smiling and leaning down to kiss Stephanie's cheek. "I missed my girls."

"I'm going to go," Hunter said. "But Steph, if you need to talk…find me."

Stephanie nodded and Chris sat down next to her, sending a look. She turned to him and shook her head slightly, telling him without words that she hadn't told Hunter about their…maybe condition. He nodded and leaned back in his chair, taking a deep sigh and closing his eyes. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, but it was lifted when he felt Stephanie's hand rubbing his thigh.

"You ok?" she asked softly.

"No," he answered truthfully. "Are you?"

"No," she answered, giving him a smile. "But at least we're not ok together right?"

"Yeah, that's something of a positive," he said, laughing hollowly. "Steph, I don't know if we're ready."

"Were we ready with Tristan?" she asked quietly. "I don't think we were, but I don't think we're doing a horrible job."

Chris looked over at his daughter, who was pushing food around on her plate. "Yeah, but it's scary. It's just all so scary. I'm getting those same butterflies I had when I found out about Tristan. It's like a, I don't know, a feeling like I want to run away at the speed of light and then just dry heave."

"Ok, that's scary."

"Not that I could do that. I mean, we're lucky, Tristan is the best."

"I think so too."

"But what if we get a brat? One that cries all night and hates us and throws things at us?"

"That wouldn't be so fun."

"But that's what we could get," Chris said. "And that's scary. And what about Tristan? How will she respond to this? What if she doesn't want a little brother or sister right now? What if we start paying her less attention and then starts to resent us and then resents another child?"

"Well, we'd just have to keep in mind that we have her, and that she's still going to need us a lot. She's not grown-up," Stephanie said, glancing at Tristan, and then attempting to wipe her face again. "But think of all the good things that come along with it. Think of how beautiful Tristan is, and how small she was. Remember the first time she smiled?"

"When we were going to visit my parents," he said, smiling nostalgically. "It was like she knew that it was a big day for me, and she wanted to make the best first impression with my mom and dad."

"Uh huh," Stephanie agreed. "And remember how she felt in your arms when you would cradle her to sleep at night?"

"Yeah," he said. "She felt like she could break. Now she just sleeps through the night."

"Yup, and what about those baby blues of hers? She can make you do anything with those eyes can't she?"

"I am a sucker for her," Chris admitted, smiling past Stephanie as he looked at Tristan.

"And who's to say that you won't get all of those things if we are having another one pretty soon?"

"That's true," Chris said. "Hey Trist?"

Tristan turned to Chris, "Da?"

"You're a cool little girl right?" he asked, and she stuck her tongue out at him before grabbing her sippy cup and going back to drinking her apple juice. "Do you promise we'd get one like her?"

"I can't promise, but chances are good."

"She is a really good baby."

"Yeah, she is. She loves everyone, and she's smart, and she's got a personality, and she's independent when she wants to be, and stubborn in the best way, which is stubborn in the way that you and I aren't. We hit the jackpot with her. I don't know what we did to deserve her, really, but whatever it was, we're fortunate. I see far too many ugly babies, and Tristan is anything but. And you know, whatever happens, if there is another one on the way, I'm sure they'll be cool too."

"Another Chris Jericho?"

"Heaven help us," Stephanie said, patting her stomach lightly. "The LAST thing we need is another one of you. Tristan and I already have our hands full dealing with the original."

"Hey!" Chris protested. "Tristan, do you think that I'm too much to handle?"

"Da!" she screamed, pounding her fists on the table.

"See, you're driving her crazy," Stephanie said, then kissed Chris for good measure. "It'll all work out, you'll see."

"Yeah, I'll see."


	67. Chapter 67

To say that Chris was distracted during his match would be an understatement. The happenings backstage were weighing on his mind much more than his match that evening. He was slated to win his match, but he looked sloppy and distracted so it was nearly impossible for him to look like he was going to win.

His mind just kept wandering back to what may lay inside of Stephanie. He loved Stephanie to the very hilt of his being, but it was an entirely different thing when he thought about the fact that she might be pregnant. He wished that he could've read this on her, but he didn't have the experience. He didn't know she was pregnant the first time, but that was simply because he wasn't around her. Shouldn't he know by now?

He loved his daughter more than he loved Stephanie, that much he knew, and he would love any other kids they had, but it was just so sudden. He had no time to adjust to the idea of more kids, and it was just scary to think of something he didn't know. That's why he was so sloppy during his match.

He finally got into his match enough to make it look like he could legitimately win, but his mind was stilly heavy. He trudged backstage, sore and tired, sweat pouring down his face. Stephanie and Tristan were waiting backstage for him. Well, Stephanie was waiting, Tristan was asleep in her arms, her head against Stephanie's shoulder. Her arm was dangling over Stephanie's arm and she looked so relaxed, and he just wished that he could be as relaxed as she was.

"You weren't that great," Stephanie whispered as she shifted Tristan a little bit on her shoulder.

"I know, I was thinking about…things," Chris said, glancing down to Stephanie's stomach.

"You've got to stop doing that," Stephanie told him. "We don't know for sure yet. It's just a feeling."

"But you said that it was the same feeling that you had for Tristan, and that has to be a reliable feeling."

"It could be nothing," Stephanie answered. "I mean, when I had the symptoms last time, I didn't think that I was pregnant. So maybe it'll be a reverse kind of thing. I'll have the symptoms, but I won't be pregnant. It could all be attributed to me not getting enough sleep or something. I mean, the situation with my parents has been pretty volatile, and it has been weighing me down."

"Yeah, true," Chris said. "That's true."

"You said that twice," she pointed out. "Let's get out of here ok?"

"I need to shower and stuff."

"Can you just do it back at the hotel, Tristan is already asleep and I'm tired too, and that way we can talk. Before we do this test, I just wanted to get some things off my chest that I know I wouldn't get off my chest if I'm not pregnant."

Chris nodded and she smiled gratefully. She didn't want to be under anyone's prying eyes at the moment, and she felt rather exposed standing here in the middle of the backstage area. Even if she was pregnant though, she doubted that anyone could tell, but she still felt like she was on display and that anyone could tell by her face that she might be having a baby. She shifted Tristan again and followed Chris to their locker room.

Stephanie just carried Tristan in her arms while Chris gathered their things. He put the bags over his shoulder as Stephanie watched from the doorway. He folded up Tristan's stroller and picked it up with ease as Stephanie held the door for him. They walked down the hallways, waving to their friends, who were sure to be quiet as they saw the sleeping baby in Stephanie's arms.

Stephanie spent the car ride softly rubbing Tristan's back as Chris drove. Tristan hadn't woken up, and she probably wouldn't, but Stephanie found that she was the one being comforted by the soothing motions she was doing against her daughter's back. Tristan was already in her pajamas, a yellow fuzzy one-piece, her bare little feet sticking out the bottom, and a duck stitched on the back. Stephanie could feel Tristan's wispy brown hair against her neck, tickling her a little bit. She could also feel the drool soaking through her top, but she had become accustomed to that since Tristan was born.

Tristan didn't wake up at all as they went up to the room. Stephanie laid her gently in her crib and Tristan simply moved a little to get comfortable before ceasing her squirming. Stephanie kissed her cheek and then put her dog next to her as Chris got in for a kiss too, as they turned off the lights and tip-toed into their bedroom, Tristan being in the other part of the room. Chris pointed towards the shower and Stephanie nodded as she went and sat on the bed.

She didn't know how long Chris took, but it felt like she was waiting forever. Finally, he emerged from the bathroom in a towel, walking over to his suitcase and rooting through it for some pajama pants and boxers. He dropped the towel and changed, hopping onto the bed next to Stephanie. She glanced over at him with trepidation and he rubbed her leg.

"So you wanted to say some stuff," he said, prodding the conversation along.

"Yeah, there's some things," she said to him.

"Ok, well, I'm listening, so take as much time as you want," he said supportively.

"I just…I regret a lot of things that happened with Tristan and I wanted to get that off my chest before I took this test and we found out our destiny," she said with a small laugh.

Chris laughed too, but then he groaned. "Steph, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care about what happened with Tristan? I only care that you and I are together now and that we're happy. You can't change what happened, and it's stupid of you to think about it now."

"But I have to, I at least have to tell you a little bit, just what I regret, and why I kind of…well, I just need to tell you," she finished, then added, "please."

"You know I'll listen."

"Thanks," she said, grabbing his hand. "I regret not telling you from the start about Tristan. I regret that I lied to you."

"I know," he said softly, squeezing her hand.

"I wanted you to be there, when Tristan was born, I wanted you to be there, and I didn't even realize that I did, I mean, I knew on some level, but really, I didn't know, and I'm sorry that you weren't there. I wish you could've been there. I wish you could've seen Tristan when she was just born, I wish that she could've looked up into her daddy's eyes on that first day, and I'm so sorry that she didn't."

Chris looked down a moment, when she put it like that, it did still sting his heart a little bit, and he couldn't help but feel the pain of that night creep back into him, "When you called, I was so worried that something had gone wrong."

Stephanie looked at him, "But you said…you told me that you didn't care."

"Of course I cared! You were having my baby, I was worried sick that something was wrong with Tristan when you called me."

"I should've known," Stephanie said sulkily. "I'm so damn stupid!"

"A little," he admitted. "I sat there, wondering if you had already had her. I didn't know if you had or anything."

"I'm sorry," Stephanie said. "I want you to know that. That I will never be sorrier for anything in my entire life."

"I know that," he told her. "I know that you're sorry, and I'm over it for the most part. It was almost a year ago anyways, really it's not even worth thinking about, because Tristan IS in my life."

"Yeah, I just, if I'm pregnant, I want you to be there…for everything. I want to give you everything that you missed. If I'm pregnant, I want you to have what you missed with Tristan," Stephanie told him earnestly.

Chris gave her a smile, a glowing and happy one, "I think that's the second best thing you've ever told me."

"What was the first?" she questioned.

"That you loved me," Chris admitted, sitting up to kiss her. She kissed him back eagerly, but didn't let it get too carried away.

"I just needed to get that off my chest, that I wanted to give you what you didn't have."

"You already have given me everything I need," he said to her.

"But Chris, you were there for Tristan's first sonogram. You didn't see her as the little dot on that fuzzy picture. And you didn't get to feel her kick inside of me, or get to be at the hospital and count her fingers and toes like some paranoid freak."

"I know, and that's stuff that I have to deal with, but I mean, I got her first smile, and the first time she rolled over, laughed, crawled, walked, I got all those, and collectively, they make up for everything else. If she says Daddy first, I think that I'll be fine with everything."

"She adores you, you know," Stephanie said. "She woke up while I was watching your match, and I swear when she saw you on the screen her eyes lit up. She loves you so much."

"Probably because she knows that she's got me wrapped around her finger," Chris laughed. "Regardless, I have Tristan, and I love her, and I didn't miss much with her."

"But you missed some, and I want you to have that."

"And I will, because I'm not going anywhere baby, you're going to have to deal with me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Stephanie said, "Should I go take it now?"

"I guess we should, unless you have something else that you want to say to me."

"No, I don't think that I do, except that I'm really nervous."

"I am too, we're in the same boat."

"Do you think…I mean, well, do you think that we'll resent the baby if I'm pregnant? Because we didn't plan it and you know, we might resent it because we weren't ready for it."

Stephanie knew that she was being slightly irrational, but she was faced with an uncertain and unfamiliar situation. She didn't quite know how to react or how to emote right now. She was on edge and nothing seemed clear anymore. Her life may change in the next few minutes, and she didn't like the fact that she wouldn't be in control again.

"We didn't plan for Tristan, but I don't resent her," Chris answered, "Do you resent her?"

"Absolutely not," Stephanie stated. "Not at all."

"Then I don't see the difference with this situation," he said, getting up and off the bed. She watched him walk over to Tristan's diaper bag and he pulled out a bag. He reached inside and produced the pregnancy test. He came back over and held it out. She stared at it a few moments in his hand, and she just felt weird about this.

She took it and looked down at it, turning it over, and then opening the box. Chris sat down on the bed and put his hand on her shoulder, giving her silent support that she so desperately needed. Well, at least this time would be different from the last time. The last time she had done it in a bathroom at the arena, by herself, shaking and alone, wondering if she could possibly be pregnant by a man that she had slept with once, and while she was still married.

But this time, she had someone's hand on her shoulder, there to support her and help her with whatever the test said. She had a little girl sleeping not fifteen feet away, someone who loved her with abandon and depended on her. She pulled the instructions out of the box and read them carefully, although she pretty much knew what she had to do.

"Do or die time," Stephanie laughed hollowly.

"Um, you don't want me to come in there with you, do you?" Chris asked, obviously a little bit out of his element. "I mean, I will if you want me to, but I mean, I don't care actually, you're choice."

"I can do it by myself," she said, obviously sensing that he did not want to be in that bathroom.

She stood up and let go of his hand. She hobbled her way to the door and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She set the test on the counter a second, looking down at it. Well, it was now or never, after being befuddled the entire night and weaving back and forth between wanting another baby and not really wanting, but not despising the idea of a another baby. She picked up the test and sighed.

Chris sat on the other side of the door, silently tapping his fingers against the nightstand. He couldn't just sit there, and instead got up and went to go check on Tristan. She was still asleep, though he was kind of hoping she would be awake so that she could distract him while Stephanie was in the bathroom. He reached out to run his finger down her chubby cheek and she flinched a little, but didn't move.

He thought back to what Stephanie had said about giving him everything that he had missed. He didn't dwell on the fact that he wasn't there for Tristan's birth, and he didn't think he was less of a father for it. There were plenty of men who missed the births of their children, maybe not under the same circumstances, but under some other circumstance, so he was not alone. What mattered was the fact that he loved Tristan, and he was with Tristan now and she was the only one she knew as Daddy.

Stephanie walked out as she had set the test on the counter, and went back out to wait with Chris. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against his back and closing her eyes. He smelled like soap from his shower and his skin was so soft and warm, she could probably fall asleep against his back right now, and it would probably clear the cacophony in her brain.

"A few minutes," she mumbled against his back.

"Ok," he said, continuing to stare down at Tristan. It was amazing the amount of comfort that he could amass from his daughter. It was like she was his strength and everything that he loved and cherished in this world was wrapped up in her small frame. He had truly never loved anything like he loved his daughter.

"And then our fate is sealed," Stephanie said overdramatically, trying to lighten the heavy mood that was hanging over the both of them.

"Yup, for better or for worse right?"

"Right," she agreed. "Two kids and we aren't even married."

"That doesn't matter, you know I'm devoted to you."

"I know, I just always figured I'd be married when I had the kids, not have the kids while I was being married. Odd how things like that work out. But I guess when you're little you want to have the ideal life, the husband, the kids, the white picket fence."

"Well, you have the kid, and you have the white picket fence, and someday you'll have the husband," he said, and she couldn't see his face, and she wished she could because that seemed a rather serious sentiment.

"Don't propose just because you think that you have to," she told him, responding in her own serious tone.

"I wouldn't dare," Chris said. "I believe in the honorable thing, but I'm not the type to propose just because I knocked someone up."

"Twice potentially," Stephanie pointed out.

"Wow, I'm a horrible, horrible man."

"Yeah, you are," Stephanie laughed, "If you were just a little more careful."

"That's a bold place for you to go," he answered. "If I recall correctly, the first time we did this baby-making thing, it was your idea."

"A great one too," she said, and she looked over at the clock, "Well, it's time. The thing should be ready. Do you want to go look at it?"

"Do I really have any other choice?"

"No, come on, let's go find out."


	68. Chapter 68

Stephanie grabbed Chris's hand for support, and he was very willing to give it to her because he needed some support too. He wondered what Stephanie had thought the first time she had been pregnant. She must've been so scared and nervous for what she was going to see. Because of that, he let go of her hand and instead wrapped it tightly around her waist, letting his thumb hook into the top of her pants.

Stephanie patted his hand with her own and looked up at him. She loved that he was here this time, and loved that he could be with her and offer her the strength that she needed. She knew whatever the outcome, that Chris would be there, because Chris was always there, even when she took no notice, even in all her selfishness. He wasn't there when he hated her, but she couldn't very well blame him for that now because ever since that one moment where they came to an understanding in that room where they were locked in, he had been one of the largest presences in her life.

"I love you," she whispered, taking a moment to kiss his cheek. Chris moved his head slightly to the side in order to make it a real kiss, and she welcomed his warm mouth on her own, transferring that love they shared.

"Love you too," he said briefly as he pulled away.

She took a step forward, breaking away from Chris and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the bathroom. She grabbed the test quickly and taking a deep breath looked down at it, studying for a moment. Chris took a step next to her, looking down at the test, but not knowing what exactly it meant.

"Negative," Stephanie said, glancing up at Chris. "That means it's negative."

"So no baby?" Chris asked dumbly, not fully realizing that negative was usually a sign that something was not going to happen.

"No baby," Stephanie said, looking up at Chris this time, trying to gauge his reaction. She didn't know how he was going to react, and she didn't want to react a certain way until she knew whether he would be offended or not.

"Ok, wow," Chris said, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Wow."

"I'm…relieved," Stephanie said finally, drawing the word out as long as possible, hoping that Chris didn't think that she didn't want to have his baby willingly. Tristan hadn't exactly been planned, and she had been more than willing to have her.

"You are?" he asked her.

"I mean, yeah," she stumbled through her words. "I mean, I don't want perfect, I've never wanted perfect before. My marriage, I didn't even get a wedding, but I moved past that, because I didn't need perfect. With Tristan, she wasn't conceived out of pure love and commitment, but in a moment of desperation and anger, not perfect, but I moved forward. I don't expect perfect anymore, but I kind of wanted something close after we got together, not another surprise pregnancy where we were basically in the same place we were. I want the next pregnancy to be right, to feel right."

"I'm…really glad that you feel that way," Chris said, digesting her words.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I feel the same way. I mean, another kid is going to be great, in the future, but I don't think…I just didn't think this was the right time, you know."

"I know exactly," Stephanie said, giving him a small smile. "I mean, it's not like we don't have another child, or that we've been trying for months and months and hoping and praying."

"Exactly, I just want more time with Tristan before we have another kid. Not that having another kid hasn't entered my mind, it has…with you," Chris said, adding the last part quickly.

Stephanie laughed and put the test on the nightstand before hugging Chris tightly. "Well thanks, because I imagined it happening with you too. I don't exactly have any other boyfriends right now, so of course it was with you."

"We'll have more when we're ready," he said, placing the palm of his hand against her cheek. "Until then, we've GOT to be more careful!"

"Oh, I know," Stephanie said. "We need to learn that, and quick before we have to repeat this scene."

"So bed?"

She nodded and went to her own suitcase to grab her pajamas. She went into the bathroom to take her makeup off and to brush her teeth. When she came back out, Chris was already in the bed, pillows propped under his head and blanket just above his waist. She turned off the light and made her way to the bed, climbing in and letting Chris scoot over and take her in his arms. She smiled in the darkness as the sweet smell of his shampoo wafted to her.

"How's your ankle?" he asked softly.

"Fine," she told him. "Just me being stupid and clumsy."

"I'm glad you didn't leave," he mumbled against her cheek.

"Where would I have gone?" Stephanie asked with a sigh. "Where could I have possibly gone? I don't exactly have anywhere to run to."

"You could've run anywhere, you have the means," Chris answered. "I'm just glad that you didn't. I don't know why you would even do that in the first place."

"Lita might be pregnant, and Hunter is going to propose to Stacy, and I just felt like I wasn't doing anything worthwhile I guess. Stupid huh?"

"Very, because I need you, and Trist needs you, and you're definitely worth it to us."

"I know, I wouldn't have gotten a block without thinking about her and coming straight back," Stephanie said. "I could never leave her, never."

"I know," he answered. "I feel the same way."

The two of them fell asleep shortly thereafter, and it was indeed a satisfying sleep. They didn't have to go to bed thinking about new babies, or other complications for once. Stephanie was at least back on good terms with her mother, and she wasn't pregnant again. Chris just kept himself wrapped around her tightly, her body pressed against his.

The light was what woke him up the next morning, and he found that he still had Stephanie right next to him. He slowly let go of her, and got out of bed, cracking his neck a little before walking into the next room to see that Tristan was already awake and playing quietly with her dog in her crib.

"Morning," Chris said, his voice still laced with sleep.

Tristan smiled and grabbed the top of her crib, standing herself up to look at her daddy. She bounced on her feet a little bit, obviously happy to see him. He wondered how long she had been awake. It couldn't have been that long because she wasn't crying for attention yet. She stretched her arms towards him and after he stretched his own arms, he picked her up easily.

She kissed his cheek and he smiled. "You hungry?"

"Ba," she said to him, yawning to punctuate her statement.

"Tired too huh?" he asked. "Yeah, Mommy and I had a rough night last night, so we're tired too."

"Ba?" she asked, looking around.

"How about we have breakfast, wouldn't that be better?"

Tristan smiled and Chris set her down on the ground. She walked over to her activity blanket that they had set up for her yesterday and she sat down happily, playing with the assorted toys laying on the blanket. Chris went over and got her dog from her crib and she eagerly took it when he offered. He walked into the kitchen part of his and Stephanie's suite, one of the better set-ups so that they could actually make things for their daughter if they needed to. They weren't so much concerned about themselves, but Tristan needed certain things that couldn't be provided by room service or what not.

Stephanie had brought baby food with them and Chris went over and opened some of it up, smelling each one, deciding whether or not it was worth eating. After making a few faces, he picked the best of the lot, some applesauce and peaches, two of her favorites. Chris walked over to Tristan's activity blanket and picked her up, much to her protest, but she was fine once she was in her high chair, banging on it with the spoon that he had laid out for her. He put the baby food in one of her baby plates and put it down so that she could make every attempt to eat it.

When he saw that she was doing ok by herself he went and ordered some breakfast for him and Stephanie. He went to check on her and saw her still wrapped up in all the blankets, her head almost buried. He kissed her forehead and let her sleep. She hadn't been getting a lot of rest lately with her feud with her parents, and any extra sleep was probably best for her. He went back to watch Tristan eat, and leaned his chin in his hand.

"You didn't want a baby brother or sister anyways did you?" Chris asked, to which Tristan stuck her tongue out, but that could've just been her trying to spoon some food into her mouth. "Yeah, you're all I need for now."

Somewhere deep inside Chris, he might say that he was disappointed that he wasn't going to have another child. Maybe it was just the parental instinct, but he wasn't as scared of another child as he let on, not deep down. There was just something about loving someone so unconditionally and with no conditions for either end.

But this whole scare did set one thing in his mind, and that thing was marriage. He didn't want Stephanie to get pregnant again with the name Stephanie McMahon. The next time they had a baby, he wanted her to have the name Stephanie Jericho, or Stephanie McMahon-Jericho. He wanted to cement his feelings for Stephanie, and he wanted them to become official and for Tristan to not be looked down upon because her parents weren't married.

Room service arrived then, and he ate his breakfast quickly, leaving Stephanie's under the covers so they'd stay warm. He wanted to know how Stephanie always imagined her proposal, but he didn't know how to do that without talking to Stephanie directly. He needed to talk to someone who had some insight into Stephanie, and there was only one person who knew her that well.

"Hey beautiful, do you think you're finished?" Chris asked Tristan as he finished up his own meal. Tristan was covered in her food, but she had managed to eat most of it surprisingly. Chris was impressed with her motor skills and went to wet a napkin so that he could wipe off her hands and face.

After he changed Tristan's diaper, and got her ready for the day, he changed into his own clothes for the day. The SmackDown tapings that evening were being held about a hundred miles away, but they still had time before they had to make the drive so Chris decided to go find the person he needed to talk to. He remembered Stephanie saying off-handedly once that Hunter always went to gym in the morning, so Chris decided to go there first and his room second in the off-chance that he was in the gym.

He picked up Tristan and her dog, giving it to her before scribbling a note for Stephanie on top of her breakfast saying they were going for a walk. Chris grabbed Tristan's diaper bag in case they needed it and headed out. The gym was on the second floor and Chris took the elevator down there, walking inside and looking around. He spotted Hunter on the treadmill and walked over, setting Tristan down a few steps before he stopped.

"Trips," Chris said, causing Hunter to turn and see him. He slowed down the treadmill to a stop and took a few deep breaths.

"Chris, hi."

"Hey. I needed to talk to you," he told him.

"Yeah, sure, hold on," Hunter said, wiping himself down and then the treadmill. Tristan was scared of the big machine that her Uncle Hunter was on and hid herself behind Chris's leg, holding onto his jeans with one hand and her dog with the other. "What's up?"

"It's about Stephanie."

"Why? Something IS wrong, I knew it," he muttered.

"No man, nothing is wrong," Chris said, "I just needed to know if you knew something."

"About Stephanie?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, who else?"

"Ok, do you want to go somewhere else?" Hunter asked awkwardly. He and Chris had come to terms with everything that happened, but they weren't exactly the best of friends. They had both loved the same woman, and that was always going to be there. That and the fact that Hunter had thought the little girl clinging to Chris at the moment had been his.

"Um, sure, I guess I could go for another cup of coffee, I only got one cup upstairs," Chris said, "Coffee shop?"

"Ok," Hunter nodded.

Chris bent down to pick up Tristan again, and she hid her face in his t-shirt, not wanting to glance at the big, scary machine. She whimpered a little, still not looking up as Chris and Hunter walked to the coffee shop that was one floor below. They sat down at a table and ordered coffee while Chris sat Tristan on the table instead of getting a high chair.

"So what did you need to know?" Hunter asked.

"Ok, first off, this is going to be weird, it already is," Chris told him. "But I didn't know who else to go to."

"Ok, fair enough, what is it?"

"Well, I want to propose to Stephanie," Chris said shortly, giving Hunter time to digest that. It wasn't that Hunter was mad that it was happening as he was planning on asking Stacy very soon, but it was just weird that some other man was going to be married to a woman that he had been married to.

"Well congratulations," Hunter said, and was surprised at the genuine tone of his voice.

"Thanks," Chris said with a chuckle. "I figure that I should probably make it official. I mean, if we were just dating, then yeah, I'd wait, but we have Tristan, and you know, it just seems right."

"Yeah, I can understand that, so what did you need to know?"

"Did Stephanie ever mention how she would've wanted to be proposed to? She didn't exactly get one with you, and so I was hoping to give her what she wanted," Chris said sheepishly, not wanting to have to add the part where Hunter didn't propose or anything, but well…he didn't.

"She told me once that her perfect proposal would be something very simple, nothing romantic or overt, just something very quiet, maybe in bed, and just saying what you felt at the moment, but spontaneous at the same time."

"Great, I was worried that I'd have to hire a skywriter or something."

"I might, if you can figure out how Stacy wants to be proposed to, I'd really like to know," Hunter laughed.

"This is weird," Chris said, also with a laugh. These two men had been such adversaries, but like many other things, Tristan just seemed to make things better. In an odd way, Chris and Hunter sort of had a camaraderie over Tristan, and they always would be.

"You're telling me, you stole my wife," Hunter told him, pretending to be angry.

"What can I say?" Chris shrugged. "Thanks though, and well, Stephanie is friends with you, and I know it would make her really happy if I could consider you a friend, so I'm going to do that."

"I'll do the same…Stephanie will always have a place in my heart," Hunter said nonchalantly. "I may not love her like that, but I care about her, and I care about Tristan too."

"She appreciates that, and thanks again."

"No problem," Hunter said.

Chris and Hunter talked about the show that evening before they decided they better leave or risk being late. Chris walked upstairs, letting Tristan down on the ground when they reached their floor. She didn't know which door to go to so she went up to all of them, then looked to Chris to see if it was the right one. They finally made it and Chris opened the door, Tristan rushing inside. Chris saw Stephanie curled up on the couch, watching television.

"Hey, you're back," Stephanie said, holding her arms open so that Tristan could come to her. Tristan squealed in happiness as Stephanie lifted her off the ground and cuddled with her on the couch.

"Yeah, we just wanted to go for a walk, didn't we beautiful?"

"Ma," Tristan said contentedly, snuggling even more against Stephanie.

"Sounds like fun," Stephanie said, smiling down at Tristan before laying her cheek against Tristan's head.

Chris was sure now, more sure than earlier. He wanted to marry Stephanie, he wanted to be with her forever. Those two girls sitting on that couch were his life and his reason for being, his raison d'être if you will. He wanted to make Stephanie his wife in the worst way. Never before had he been so serious with someone, but that line had been breached with Stephanie almost a year and a half ago.

He knew that he wanted Stephanie forever.


	69. Chapter 69

"Steph, I have to go to the store!"

"Wait!" Stephanie said, rushing to the doorway. "I'll come with you."

Chris's eyes widened. "Why?"

"So I get what I need," Stephanie said in her most obvious voice. "That's why I usually go to the grocery store."

"What about Tristan?"

"Well, I was going to leave her here. She'll be fine," Stephanie said sarcastically. "Chris, what is up with you?"

"Nothing, I had just planned to go by myself," he answered tightly.

"Are you lying?" Stephanie asked suspiciously. Chris always welcomed her whenever he had to go somewhere, and now all of a sudden he was being stand-offish.

"No! I was going to go shopping."

"Then why are you acting like this?"

"If you want to come, you're welcome to," Chris told her. He walked closer to her and she took a step back defensively. "Come here."

"Are you regretting the fact that we're not pregnant? Were you just trying to appease me when you said you were ok with no baby?"

"No, I'm really ok with it," he said, grabbing her and bringing her to him. He hugged her around the shoulders. She didn't hug him at first, but then relented and hugged him around the waist.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," he insisted. "Come on, go get Tristan and we'll go to the store."

Stephanie smiled and leaned up to kiss him lightly. She pulled away and went to go fetch their daughter. Chris sighed. He wasn't actually going to ONLY go to the grocery store. He was actually going to go shopping for her engagement ring, but the grocery store story was just a cover-up for that.

He was absolutely going to propose to Stephanie. He was going to wait until after Tristan's birthday though. Her birthday and the days leading up to it should be about her and her alone, not about him and Stephanie. He and Stephanie could certainly wait for something big to happen in their lives, but Tristan always would, and should come first.

He just hoped that she wouldn't think that they were rushing into this marriage, or engagement. He knew that they hadn't been together for that long, but it felt like so much longer. They were ready to take that next step, he thought. Now he just had to get away from her for the afternoon.

"Look who just woke up from their nap?" Stephanie said as she walked into the room with Tristan in tow. Tristan was rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Hey beautiful," Chris said happily. Tristan whined her response to him and then reached her arms towards him, trying to break free from Stephanie's grasp.

"She sick of me," Stephanie joked.

"Or maybe she was the lone member of this family who wanted to have a new baby," Chris said jokingly.

"And give up all the attention? You obviously don't know our daughter."

"Oh yeah, stupid me, Trist would never want to share all the attention that she is lavished with."

Chris took Tristan from Stephanie and she seemed to calm down. Chris gave Stephanie a look of superiority for being able to calm her down so efficiently. Stephanie gave him a mock look of disgust and went to retrieve Tristan's diaper bag. As she went out of the room, Chris lifted Tristan so he could look her in the eye with a serious look.

"Trist, I'm going to need your help in the next few days," Chris whispered to her.

"Da?"

"Uh huh, you need to help Daddy because I need to ask Mommy a very important question."

"Da?"

"I'm not going to tell you," Chris said indignantly. "With my luck you'd learn how to say 'ring' and ruin the surprise."

Tristan shook her head at him and Chris laughed. He was about to answer her when Stephanie came back in and saw Chris laughing. She gave them a look, but didn't ask what was going on. Everyone knew that Tristan was the penultimate Daddy's Girl, worse than Stephanie was at her age. She didn't want to encroach on whatever they were talking about.

"Here's your doggie baby," Stephanie said, handing Tristan her dog, even as Tristan cuddled it fiercely. Stephanie opened the door and they went out to the car, and Chris just kept wondering when he would get the chance to propose to the woman of his dreams.

The next Monday rolled around and Chris had not found one moment to himself. Every time he was going to go out, Stephanie would either come along, or curb his plans completely, leaving him with no time at all. It was almost like she was deliberately doing all this stuff to him so he WOULDN'T go out and purchase the ring, but that idea was preposterous.

Now they were at a show, and he wasn't going to find any time now. Fortunately it seemed that he wasn't even needed that evening as he had no matches or promos scheduled at all. He figured that he could just chill backstage with his girls, which was just fine with him. But that's when Stephanie burst through the door.

"Chris!" Stephanie whined as she walked into the room. "Did you see the revised schedule!"

"What revised schedule?" Chris asked as he sat with Tristan on the ground.

"Well, it turns out that the Dudleys couldn't get a plane out here because of weather or mechanical problems so they needed something to fill the time, which wasn't that much, but I was put in a match!" Stephanie said, her eyes wide with anger and trepidation.

"Wait, you're in a match!"

"Yeah, I'm going against Victoria," Stephanie said. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"You can't go out there and wrestle, your ankle," Chris pointed out.

"I had it checked earlier and I guess the trainer said that I was cleared to go!" Stephanie said, sitting down on the couch with a heaving sigh. "Chris, I'm going to get ripped to shreds."

"Well, I'll go out there with you, whose sick idea was this?"

"I don't know, I'm not part of management I was told that if I'm strictly working in front of the camera that I need a bigger presence than just being your manager," Stephanie explained. "And they want me to get more involved, and I think this is my dad's sick way of making sure that I'm still a prominent part of this company even though I'm not on management anymore."

"Ok, well you'll be fine as long as I'm out there with you."

"But I'm a horrible wrestler," she lamented. "Of all the divas, I have to be the one going out there."

"It'll be fine, maybe I can interfere or something."

"Ok," Stephanie said, starting to feel better. If Chris was out there, things couldn't go totally and completely wrong. She just hated the fact that she would be going against such a seasoned wrestler. She was not trained like Victoria was, and Stephanie only knew a few moves, hardly a moveset like other wrestlers had. "I guess Tristan can stay with Hunter or something."

"Of course," Chris said, then laid his head against her knee. "I'll make sure that you look like you're kicking Victoria's ass."

Stephanie laughed a little bit at that. She reached her hand down and it must've been instinct or something because Chris reached back and laced his fingers with hers. She smiled, though she knew that he couldn't see and he kissed her fingers, then pressed their clasped hands against his cheek. Stephanie didn't know that Chris was thinking about his proposal, but that was exactly what he was thinking about.

Later that evening, Stephanie was bouncing around backstage. She didn't even have the proper wrestling gear, so she was in a pair of black pants and a Jericho shirt that Chris had had lying around. Lita had helped her tie it up so that it looked a bit more feminine. Lita was taking care of Tristan for more practice for when she might have kids.

"I'm nervous," Stephanie said.

"Don't be, I'll be right there."

"Promise that you won't suddenly walk away in the middle of my match because you're so disgusted by my wrestling style?"

"No, but try to catch me when I'm not laughing at your moves," Chris told her.

She gasped, "That's not nice! Maybe if my boyfriend and the father of my child, who is a seasoned wrestler had taught me how to wrestle, I wouldn't be going out there with a lot of potential to make a fool out of myself."

"How about I just beat up whoever thought of this stupid match in the first place?"

"Ok, I'd like that," Stephanie said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm going to suck."

"I'll tell you what…after this match is over, and before a couple of the shows next week and in the following weeks, I'll teach you how to wrestle adequately enough so that you can go out there and look legit."

"You'd be willing to go through all the trouble of teaching me?" Stephanie asked.

"Least I can do right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means after everything you've done for me, it's the least I can do to teach you how to wrestle."

"Everything that I'VE done for YOU? I think you have it the other way Chris. You've done so much more for me than I've ever done for you, I should be teaching you something. I don't know what I could possibly teach you, but the thought is there."

"You had Tristan and I'm going to take a wild guess and say that hurt a lot, so…least I can do."

"Well, yeah, but that was worth it," she pointed out.

"Watching you wrestle will be worth it," he winked as her music went off. "Go time."

She gave him a nervous kiss as she walked out to her entrance, Chris following closely behind her. She soaked up the cheers, such a different feeling than being booed all the time. Chris gave her the cheers because they loved him, and so they loved her by association. Chris went up ahead of her and held the ropes for her so that she could climb in. She smiled and gave him a kiss before he went and stood outside the ring.

Stephanie was nervous as Victoria came down to the ring, but when she glanced to Chris, he gave her a surreptitious thumbs up and some of that nervousness dissipated. Victoria got in the ring and they immediately started sparring, locking up with each other. Stephanie got pushed backwards, but managed to stay on her feet and not fall on her ass. She went after Victoria and managed to spear her to the ground. She got a little excited over that, being able to do an actual move, and quite well at that. Of course, she was celebrating too much as Victoria flipped her over and started punching her.

Stephanie tried to block herself from the blows, which was not successful, but she heard Chris yelling at her to kick Victoria. She kicked up and Victoria flipped over her and onto her back, and she widened her eyes as she heard Victoria groan behind her. She scrambled to her feet and jumped a little, before going for the pin. Victoria barely managed to kick out but she did, and got to her feet, Stephanie tried to go after her, but Victoria caught her and gave her a back-breaker. Stephanie fell to the mat in pain, grabbing her back. Victoria tried for the pin, but couldn't get it, Stephanie kicking out at the last moment.

Chris pounded on the mat, willing Stephanie to get up. She did, slowly, and Victoria kicked her and tried to go for the Widow's Peak, but Chris distracted the referee enough so that Victoria had to come over and grab her. Unfortunately, this left Stephanie alone and when Victoria turned around to get her, she was clotheslined by Stephanie. Stephanie, feeling quite bold, decided to go for a flying forearm, and started to climb the ropes. Victoria caught her and tried to pull her off the ropes.

Stephanie, unfortunately, did not have the proper foot wear to wrestle that evening and her feet lost their footing on the ropes and she fell, first her head hit the padded corner of the ropes, and then she fell awkwardly, headfirst onto the canvas, hitting the back of her head on the unforgiving canvas, knocking her out cold from the unexpected blow. Victoria didn't know and she went for the obvious pin, but was surprised when Stephanie didn't kick out, like she was probably supposed to. Victoria then noticed that Stephanie wasn't moving and her eyes were closed and after she got the pin, she signaled to the referee that she thought that Stephanie was hurt. The referee came over and seeing that Stephanie was down for the count, he raised the X to signal there was a legit injury.

Chris needn't see more than that X before he scrambled into the ring, rushing over to Stephanie, almost knocking Victoria out of the way. She looked like she was sleeping, very peaceful. He grabbed her hand and tapped it a few times, but there was no response. She was breathing though, so that was a good sign, she just looked unconscious.

"Steph, hey Steph, come on gorgeous, wake up," Chris said urgently, tapping her cheek trying to get her to wake up.

"I don't know what happened Chris," Victoria said frantically. "She just fell, I thought it was part of the match."

"It's ok," Chris told her. "She wasn't wearing good shoes, and she shouldn't have been climbing anyways."

Chris was remaining remarkably calm given the fact that his girlfriend was lying unconscious on the mat. The medics came and he got pushed out of the way for the time being as they tried to revive her, but to no avail. They put her on a stretcher and Chris grabbed her hand as they wheeled her out of there. They went backstage and Lita had Tristan in her arms, her bag and everything ready.

"Chris, do you want me to watch Tristan for you, or you can take her," Lita said, knowing that Chris would be accompanying Stephanie to the hospital.

"Can you just meet us there?" Chris called as they walked past.

"Yeah, of course, we'll be right behind you," Lita said, already making her way to the car. "We'll grab your things too."

"Thanks Li!" Chris yelled. Lita and Matt went to go get all of Chris and Stephanie's things before they took Tristan to the hospital.

In the ambulance, they had smelling salts so they put some under Stephanie's nose, and she coughed and woke up. She was very groggy, and the medics checked her and determined that she had gotten a few nasty bruises and a pretty bad concussion. Chris was relieved to hear that as Stephanie was tended to by the medics. He had a feeling that he was making too much of it, but seeing the woman you love unconscious is a pretty frightening experience.

They did some tests to Stephanie when they got to the hospital and confirmed what the medics predicted. The concussion wasn't that bad, and she only had to stay the night for observation, but that didn't really slow down Chris's heart until they settled her into her room and she sat there, feeling pretty stupid.

"I messed up," she lamented. "I wanted to do something cool, and I screwed up."

"It's ok, I did wonder what the hell you were doing climbing up there though," Chris told her as they sat in her private room. He was holding her hand. "Do you think that you're up for visitors?"

"Yeah, I'm not sick Chris," Stephanie said. "They said that I just got knocked out because I hit the floor hard, but I wasn't really that hurt."

"Yeah, but you still managed to scare the crap out of me," he pointed out.

"Sorry," she pouted. "Who's here?"

"Lita, Matt, your parents, our daughter."

"Our who?" Stephanie said.

"What? You know, our daughter," Chris said.

"Daughter, I don't have a daughter," Stephanie said, looking very confused. "I don't have any kids."

"What?" Chris said. "Tristan, our daughter. You know, the 11 month old that lives with us. Has brown hair, blue eyes, adorable…that little girl."

"Not ringing any bells," Stephanie shrugged. "I don't have any kids, I swear."

"Oh my God, you lost your memory of our daughter!" Chris said worriedly, getting up and starting to pace. "I have to get the doctor, I can't believe--"

"Chris, I'm joking," Stephanie said laughing, "I know who my daughter is, I was just trying to ease the tension. You look like you're on edge, I just thought it might be funny. I didn't know you would go crazy on me."

"Don't do that!" Chris said impatiently. "I thought you had forgotten the most important person in our lives."

"Not a chance, bring her in," Stephanie encouraged.

"Ok, I'll be right back."

"I'll be right here," she answered.

Chris went out and down to the waiting room where everyone was waiting. They all looked up at him anxiously and he realized that nobody had told them anything about Stephanie's condition. He walked over to where they were all gathered.

"She's fine, mild concussion. They just want to keep her overnight for observation, but she's not hurt or anything. They said if she wanted she could go home, but I kind of insisted they keep her."

"Oh, that's great," Linda said. "Can she see anyone?"

"Yeah, but I think she just wants to see Tristan first, if that's ok, you guys can come up in like 5 minutes, room 1414," Chris said, taking the sleeping Tristan from Lita's arms.

"Ok, we'll be up in a few minutes," Linda said to him as he walked away.

Tristan had probably been asleep for hours, and he vaguely remembered as he was rushing out with Stephanie that Tristan had been asleep in Lita's arms then. Poor thing was probably exhausted. He shifted her in his arms and she whimpered before waking up and crying a little. Chris rubbed her back a little bit, calming her down. She pulled away from him a little and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, but they lit up when she realized whose arms she was in.

"Da," she said happily as she cuddled up to him again, closing her eyes. Obviously she had just wanted to be around her parents.

He walked into the room and Stephanie opened up her arms as she saw her little girl. Chris walked over and laid her gently in Stephanie's arms. Tristan whimpered again, opening her eyes slowly, but then closing them again, falling asleep again. Stephanie kissed her head. Chris smiled at her and leaned down to kiss Stephanie's forehead, before kissing Tristan's head.

"Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't go hurting yourself again any time soon ok, because it would really put a cramp in my plans," Chris said cryptically.

"Your plans for what?" Stephanie asked innocently, not knowing what he could possibly be talking about.

"You'll see."


	70. Chapter 70

A/N: Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews, and I hope that you keep reviewing because it's always nice to receive a review, so leave one please! ;)

* * *

"Mommy, we're going to the park!"

Stephanie rushed down the stairs. "Oh, I'll come with you guys."

"What? I thought you wanted to go shopping for the show," Chris said. "That's what you told me that you were doing."

"I can always do that, I want to go to the park with you guys," Stephanie told him happily. "I would rather spend the day with Tristan anyways. I have a feeling she's going to say her first real word at any moment so I don't want to be away from her if she does."

"She probably won't," Chris said with a shrug. "And if she does, I'll bring the video camera so that I can record it and we can watch it over and over again."

"But I want to be there!" she whined with a pout. "I want to be able to see and hear her say her first words. I'm still hoping that we'll get a 'Mommy' from her first."

"It's going to be 'Daddy,' and we all know it," Chris said with a playful roll of the eyes. "So don't try to manipulate her into saying 'Mommy,' cause it's not going to happen if I can help it."

"Well regardless of what she says first, I'm still going to go to the park with you," Stephanie said decisively.

"But don't you want to go shopping, you haven't gone shopping in a long time."

"What are you trying to say to me?" Stephanie asked. "That I look ugly or something? That all my clothes are outdated and you think I look frumpy?"

"How could you ever look frumpy?" Chris asked, walking closer to her. He took her face in his hands, framing it, and rubbing his thumbs along her jaw. "There is no way on Earth that you could look frumpy, it's just not in your genes."

"Well thanks," Stephanie said, her cheeks becoming hot as he complimented her. "But I still don't understand why you want me to go buy clothes instead of being with you guys. We're a family, shouldn't we do family things together?"

"What like have a picnic or something?"

"Well, nothing that cheesy," Stephanie said with a laugh. "But why do you want me to be left out? It makes me sad that you want to spend so much time with Tristan and so little time with me."

"Now that's not true," Chris said, rubbing her shoulders. "I love spending time with you, I just thought that you might want to have some time alone. I don't know, go shopping for Tristan's birthday presents or something."

"We can do that later," Stephanie said. "It's not like Tristan would even know we were shopping for her birthday if we took her shopping. Our daughter is smart, but she's not that smart."

"Ok," Chris said, "Then come with us to the park."

"Thank you, that's what I wanted to do in the first place," Stephanie replied. "Let me just get dressed and then we'll head out there ok?"

"Yeah, ok," Chris said with a smile. Stephanie bounded out of the room and he could hear her walking up the stairs and he looked at Tristan who was in her playpen playing with some dolls and other assorted goodies. "I swear beautiful, Mommy is out to get us."

Tristan turned her head to him and smiled, "Da?"

"Come here," Chris said, picking her up. "We were supposed to go shopping for Mommy, but of course, Mommy seems to know exactly what we're doing before we're doing it. Do you think she's deliberately trying to keep me away from the jewelry store?"

Tristan just looked at him and he kissed her nose. Stephanie came back downstairs and smiled at the two of them, kissing Chris's cheek, then Tristan's cheek. Chris smiled at her back as she went into the kitchen to grab Tristan's diaper bag. Every single time he tried to get some time alone, Stephanie was always tagging along. He never thought it would be such a hassle to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring.

"Ready!" Stephanie exclaimed as she shouldered Tristan's diaper bag. "You guys ready."

"Why are you so cheerful?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"I'm not allowed to be cheerful every once in a while?" Stephanie asked.

"Well, you never really are cheerful," Chris answered. "I mean, you are, but not like this. I was just wondering if there was any reason why you were so happy."

"No, I'm just glad to be with my boyfriend and daughter, that's all," Stephanie said sweetly, not feeling like there was any other reason that she should be happy. "No other reason than that."

"Ok, just wondering," Chris said, kissing her forehead. "I've just never seen you this cheerful. Did that concussion knock some cheerfulness into you?"

"I don't think it has the power to do that," Stephanie laughed. "And if it did, I might have to sue the hospital for negligence. But you ARE going to teach me later right? Because that's the entire reason that we decided to stay at my parents this weekend, and I don't want to think that was all for nothing."

"But they wanted to see Tristan anyways, so I thought that was one of the reasons," Chris said.

"It's ONE of the reasons. But the other reason was so you would teach me. That's why I wanted to go to the park and then maybe we could stop by Titan and then we could go to the practice facility…" She trailed off, trying to sound suggestive.

"Are you sure you're ok to go, what with the concussion and everything?"

"I'm fine, the doctor said I was fine, stop being a worrywart," Stephanie laughed.

"Ok then, we'll go there afterwards."

"Thank you Chris," Stephanie said, kissing him sweetly. Chris sighed as he gave in once again. These girls were going to be the death of him. He couldn't say no to either one of his girls and it was constantly getting him into trouble. "Come on baby girl, let's go."

"The things that I do for you," Chris said as he grabbed Tristan's shoes and gave them to Stephanie to put on Tristan.

"But you adore me," Stephanie told him.

Chris rolled his eyes as Stephanie grabbed Tristan's stroller, taking Tristan from Chris's arms and putting her inside her stroller. He let them walk ahead of him since she knew the way to the park. There was a park near the house that Stephanie told Chris she had gone to when she was younger and she wanted to take Tristan there. The walk was short and they came across a small but beautiful park filled with flowers and a playground.

"This is nice."

"I told you," Stephanie said as they walked over to one of the benches. "I like it here, it's peaceful."

"We're going to go play," Chris said, grabbing Tristan from her stroller and taking her over to the swings. They had a couple of baby swings and Chris put her into the little basket, adjusting her legs. "Do you want to Daddy to push you?"

"Da!" Tristan yelled.

"Ok, I think that means that you want to go high," Chris said. Chris started to push her gently, making sure that he wasn't pushing her too hard. Tristan was loving it as she felt the wind against her face. Chris took her little hand and waved at Stephanie, who was still on the benches.

Stephanie smiled and waved back, watching some of the other kids around. She noted that some of the other mothers around were checking out Chris and she smiled to herself that he was hers and hers alone. She decided to have a little fun and walked over to where they were swinging and she wrapped her arms around Chris's waist.

"Hey, you wanted to join in on the fun?"

"Uh huh," Stephanie said. "This is fun huh?"

"Yeah, it is fun," he told her, kissing her head. "I guess I know now why you wanted to come."

"I'm glad that you figured it out," Stephanie said. "And then we can go learn some wrestling. Trist, do you want to learn how to do a sunset flip or the Lionsault like Daddy?"

"If she is able to do that, then even I would be impressed, and I'm hard to impress."

"Oh, come on Daddy," Stephanie said in a baby voice. "You can teach us both at the same time."

"Uh uh, only one of my girls is wrestling at a time."

"Sorry Trist, I think you'll just have to wait another 17 years before Daddy teaches you how to wrestle."

They spent a couple hours at the park until Tristan's nap time. They figured that while Tristan was sleeping would be a perfect time to take Stephanie to wrestle since they wouldn't have to worry about what she was doing. They drove down to Titan and Chris gently put Tristan into her stroller and managed not to wake her up.

A little bit later they were in the ring and Chris was showing Stephanie how to properly run the ropes. Thankfully Stephanie was pretty tall and could run the ropes pretty effectively without looking too stupid doing it. Stephanie's clothesline was pretty good as it was so he was going to teach her a few more basic moves. He was just about to show her a bulldog when Tristan's voice broke through the noise.

"MA!" she screamed from her stroller, unhappy tears in her eyes. Stephanie excused herself and went over to Tristan's stroller to pick her up. Tristan sniffled a little bit and laid her head down on Stephanie's shoulder.

"Shh, baby girl, shh, I'm right here, I didn't go anywhere, Daddy was just showing me how to wrestle," Stephanie whispered, rubbing Tristan's back. "We're here, we wouldn't leave you."

"Everything ok?" Chris asked, leaning on the ropes.

"Yeah, I think she just woke up and didn't know where we were," Stephanie told him. "But I told her we were right here."

"Yeah Trist, we wouldn't leave you," Chris called out to her, which she smiled to. "Does she need a change?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to take her upstairs to my mom's office, she has a private bathroom and I can change her in there."

"Ok, I'll just be down here," Chris told her.

When Stephanie was gone, Chris decided to go to the commissary to get them some water, and to get Tristan some juice. She liked to have a little bit of juice after her naps anyways. He was walking by the gym and surprisingly, he saw Hunter in there, and decided to say hi. He walked in the door and Hunter saw him, nodding his hello.

"What are you doing here?" Hunter asked.

"Eh, Vince and Linda wanted to see Tristan and I'm teaching Steph to wrestle."

"That must be something," Hunter said with a laugh, shaking his head. "I'm guessing she's recovered from the concussion then?"

"Yeah, she's fine, good to go even," Chris nodded. "I was actually going to call you later, I had to gripe about something."

"Gripe away, I figure it's about Stephanie."

"Yeah."

"What did she do this time?" Hunter asked.

"Ok, so I want to go buy her engagement ring, but every time I go to leave or go buy it, she's always saying that she wants to come along. I say I wanted to go grocery shopping, but was going to go buy a ring and she wants to come. Today I was going to take Tristan to the park, but I was going to go to a jeweler's, and she wants to come along. Every single time I want to get a moment to myself, she wants to come along."

"I know exactly what you mean," Hunter said. "I wanted to buy her this big, elaborate anniversary gift for our first anniversary, and every time I'd try to go do it, she'd say she wanted to do something or go somewhere and I never got the chance to."

"So this isn't like, she knows and she's avoiding it?"

"No, I think it's unintentional, though with Stephanie, you never really know," Hunter said and Chris nodded in agreement. "If you want though, I can take her off your hands for a while, maybe take her out tomorrow for lunch and it'll give you a chance to get the ring."

"You'd do that for me?" Chris asked.

"I thought we were trying this friend thing," Hunter shrugged, "And that's what friends do for each other. Stephanie deserves the best you know, she hasn't exactly had it totally and completely easy."

"I know, thanks, I really appreciate that," Chris said, shaking Hunter's hand.

"No problem, just don't make me regret it."

"I'll try."

Chris left Hunter then and went to go get those drinks. By the time he returned, Stephanie and Tristan were sitting in the middle of the ring. Tristan was walking around a little, holding onto one of Stephanie's hands so that she didn't go near the edge and fall. Tristan sat down and felt the ring move a little when she fell and she giggled, standing up again with Stephanie's assistance just so she could fall again and giggle.

"Already taking bumps Trist?" Chris asked as he walked over, rolling a water over to Stephanie before going to Tristan's diaper bag and filling one of her sippy cups with juice. He climbed in the ring and handed Tristan her juice.

"Ba," she answered, sipping from it.

"I ran into Hunter at the gym and he wanted to take you to lunch tomorrow, to catch up I guess," Chris told Stephanie.

"Cool, sounds like fun," Stephanie said. "Are you going to come along?"

"Nah, I'll just take Tristan somewhere or something, you go."

"I thought you were trying to be friends with him now," Stephanie said.

"I am, but we'll be fine."

"Ok, if you want," Stephanie said. "Tristan, you're going to spend tomorrow with Daddy, do you like that idea baby?" Tristan looked over and Stephanie and smiled around her cup, taking it from her mouth with a little dribble of juice falling down to her chin. Stephanie opened up her arms to her, but Tristan was looking at her stroller where he stuffed dog was. She pointed and Stephanie looked. "You want your doggie Trist?"

"Doggie!" Tristan yelled, clear as a bell to the shocked amazement of her parents. Stephanie looked to Chris and Chris looked to Stephanie.

"Did she just say a full word?" Chris asked dumbly.

"Doggie, doggie, doggie," Tristan said, slamming her hands against the mat. Stephanie laughed and looked at Chris, who was just shaking his head and chuckling under his breath.

"After all the coaxing to get her to say, 'Daddy' first, her first word is about her stuffed animal," Chris said to himself as Stephanie giggled. "Thanks a lot Trist."

"Doggie!" she said proudly as Stephanie went over to get it. Stephanie just laughed and handed it to Tristan, looking over at Chris.

"Hey, second place won't be so bad."


	71. Chapter 71

"And so the doctor confirmed it, I'm pregnant."

"Lita, I'm so happy for you," Stephanie said, hugging her friend. "Our kids can be friends and stuff, since we all travel."

"You have to be my guru though," Lita said with a laugh. "You've been through this before, you know what it's like. You're like my live version of What to Expect When You're Expecting."

"I don't know if I'm going to be much of a help," Stephanie laughed. "I think I just fumbled my way through my pregnancy. I was just trying to keep Tristan's parentage a secret."

"Yeah, but you know more about it than either me or Matt," Lita pointed out. "I'm going to have to get used to this entire idea."

"I bet this is one of the reasons for why I'm being force to wrestle now," Stephanie said, thinking about it. "It makes sense, you can't wrestle so they need one more female wrestler on the roster."

"But Chris has been teaching you hasn't he?"

"Yeah, we got in some practice over the weekend. I don't know if I'm totally great or anything, certainly not the best, but I think that I could go out there and hold my own."

"That's great, I'd help train you, but, well, you know," Lita said, patting her stomach.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want anything to happen to that," Stephanie told her with a smile. "I'm really happy for you and Matt, it couldn't happen to two nicer people. I think that you'll make great parents. Everyone likes you guys."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Lita said. "Were you this nervous?"

"And then some," Stephanie scoffed. She thought back to when she found out she was pregnant with Tristan. It wasn't the greatest moment of her life, maybe it could be more along the lines of the scariest moment of her life. "I mean, the realization that I was with my husband, but I was pregnant with another man's child, it was the scariest thing I've ever been through."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up," Lita told her.

"It's fine," Stephanie said. "I mean, it did happen, and I can't change it and everything is fine now. Chris and Hunter are even friends. Hunter told me yesterday at lunch that he and Chris are actually getting along."

"I never thought I'd see the day," Lita laughed.

"I know, but I'm glad it's worked out this way."

"Speaking of Chris, where is he?"

"Oh, Tristan came down with a little cold yesterday, nothing to be alarmed about, not that that really stopped Chris or me from having a minor freak-out, but she's really cranky because she's so uncomfortable. She's running a little bit of a fever."

"Oh, the poor thing, and after her big accomplishment."

"Yeah, she probably thought we were crazy for being so excited. She probably thinks her parents are complete losers."

"That'll probably be my kid's first thoughts too."

Stephanie was about to answer when she heard a familiar crying. She looked to her left and saw Chris entering the large room with Tristan in his arms. She was crying into his shirt as he bounced her around a little bit, rubbing her back. She looked absolutely miserable, her hands balled up into little fists as she rubbed her face into his shirt. Chris spotted Stephanie and walked over to her and she gave him a sympathetic look.

"How long has she been crying?"

"A while," Chris said. "It was worse before, I've gotten her to calm down a little bit. She's still warm, I think she's just feeling horrible and she doesn't know how to tell us."

"My poor baby," Stephanie said, reaching out to rub Tristan's back. Tristan started wailing and squirming in Chris's arms, causing him to wince. He tried holding her, but she obviously wanted Stephanie and she took Tristan from him. "Hey there sweetie, have enough of Daddy?"

"I think she has," Chris said, kissing Stephanie in hello. "Hey Lita, sorry to interrupt your conversation."

"It's fine," Lita said, glancing at Tristan. "I'm having one of those myself."

"You're having a baby."

"Yeah," Lita said, trying to hide her excitement.

"Congratulations!" Chris said, standing up and going over to hug Lita. "This is great, I'm really happy for you and Matt."

"Thanks, we're excited too. I just hope that we get someone as great as Tristan. She's an awesome little kid," Lita complimented.

"Did you hear that baby?" Stephanie asked. "Lita thinks that you're an awesome little kid. You should say thank you to her."

"Aww, it's ok, she's not feeling well," Lita said. "I'll let you guys take care of her."

"You don't have to leave," Stephanie said. "She's falling asleep anyways. She wore herself out crying. Did you give her that stuff that the doctor recommended?"

"Yeah, I did," Chris said. "She liked it well enough, but she didn't finish it. She wasn't hungry though. She just doesn't want to do anything, and I don't blame her, it's not fun being sick."

"You guys are amazing," Lita commented. "I mean, I don't think I could be like you guys."

"Of course you will, it just takes practice," Stephanie told her.

"Yeah, it gets easier, trust me," Chris added. "We've had a year to adjust to this, we're still learning. But if you ever want to baby-sit, don't hesitate to volunteer, Stephanie and I would always love a night out. That's something you better appreciate now."

"So I'm going to lose that soon then?"

"Definitely," Chris said. "And forget about partying. Although, you know, I think this is better than partying, but I just can't get enough of my girls." Chris leaned over to give Stephanie a kiss. Stephanie responded with one her own.

"You're so cute," Lita said. She observed as Tristan quieted down and fell asleep in Stephanie's arms, her arms hanging limply to her sides as her head was turned towards Chris, a wet spot developing on Stephanie's shirt from Tristan's drool. Lita was going to have to deal with drool and all of that, a child that wouldn't want to leave your arms. It was so daunting, and she didn't know if she would be prepared for such a huge step now that it was here.

"I'm going to go find Hunter, I have to tag with him tonight," Chris said, standing up. "I just want to discuss the logistics of the match."

"Ok, but you have to be back in like twenty minutes, because I have a match too," Stephanie called out as he walked away.

He saluted her as he walked backwards out the door, "Will do ma'am."

Chris walked down the hallway with a little bounce in his step. He was understandably upset that Tristan was sick and miserable, but on the other hand, he had finally gotten a moment away from Stephanie yesterday when he wanted to get Stephanie's ring. Even though Tristan had been cranky and restless, he had found time to get to a jeweler's and get Stephanie's ring. He was just happy that this plan was moving forward, although now he had to worry about the whole asking and answering thing, but he was sure that Stephanie would say yes, she had no reason to.

He knocked on Hunter's door and waited. A few minutes later, Stacy answered the door. This was actually the first time that he had seen Stacy anywhere near Hunter at the show, and he was slightly surprised. Chris figured the two of them were still a little bit uncomfortable flaunting their relationship, when it wasn't really a big deal, at least not anymore.

He gave Stacy a friendly smile, "Hi Stacy, is Trips around?"

"Yeah, he was just putting his stuff on for his match," Stacy said, looking down.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to him for a second, we're tagging," Chris explained.

"Yeah, I know," Stacy said. She wasn't being her usual chipper self, and Chris couldn't figure out why. He didn't remember doing anything to her that would make her not even want to look at him.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah," she answered, and she was obviously trying to sound chipper, trying being the key word.

"Ok," Chris said, now starting to feel uncomfortable as well. He shuffled his feet a little before Hunter showed up at the door, thankfully for both Stacy and Chris.

"Hey man, what's up?" Hunter asked, leaning in the doorway as he wrapped his arm around Stacy. She deftly ducked under his arm and disappeared into the room and Hunter just shrugged.

"I just wanted to thank you for yesterday, taking Steph out."

"Did you get what you need?"

"Yeah, I did. The universe was not conspiring against me this time," Chris laughed. "Even though Tristan was sick and I thought I'd have to stay at home with my sick child, but we managed."

"Good," Hunter said, clapping him on the back, "Stephanie really deserves this."

"I think so too," Chris told him. "So we're tagging tonight. Whose idea was that?"

"I guess someone got wind of the fact that we don't hate each other anymore."

"We should discuss this match."

"What's to discuss?" Hunter laughed, then stepped aside, "Come on in."

Meanwhile, Stephanie and Lita were walking down the hallway, discussing the finer points of pregnancies. Lita had just been telling Stephanie about the nausea that she had been suffering from, and how it always hit her right when she woke up, and then usually around lunchtime. Stephanie nodded along as she listened, careful not to jostle Tristan.

"Yeah, I got some nausea," Stephanie said, "But it was never bad, I was never in front of the toilet like some women were. I would usually get it if I ate something she didn't agree with."

"See, even inside of you, Tristan was the perfect kid, not giving you morning sickness or anything," Lita joked.

"I was just lucky," Stephanie said. "If and when I have more kids, I don't know if I'll be so lucky. I'm not up to trends from pregnancy to pregnancy."

"I can see where you would want more," Lita said, looking at Tristan. "She's just so beautiful, and she's all yours, and that must be so…I don't know, but I'm glad that I get a chance to have it."

"She's life-changing," Stephanie agreed. "For me, it was like, I can't imagine my life without her, and I don't want to. Sure, sometimes it's hard and tiring, but it's worth it."

"She seemed like a good newborn and infant, was she?"

"Yeah, she was pretty good. Her sleeping patterns were pretty consistent, so I knew when to get up and she wasn't a big crier unless she really needed something. It's fun when they're little babies because they're cute, but I'm really enjoying Tristan right now. She's more independent, she can walk, and she can talk, and it's just exciting seeing all the new things that she can do."

Lita smiled, "I'm so looking forward to it. So you and Chris do want more?"

"Yeah, I think we do, but not right now," Stephanie said. "I just kind of pictured myself married…I know it's silly because I'm not married right now, and I have Tristan, but you know, it's those little girl dreams, of the husband, the kids, the whole nine yards."

Stephanie wasn't sure if she and Chris were near marriage. Sometimes she thought about asking him, seeing if he would want to marry her. He had alluded to marriage plenty of times, but nothing had come to fruition, so she didn't know what to think in regards to that. They had a daughter, and while that is not the main factor for why someone should get married, it didn't hurt.

"You should ask him to marry you," Lita said slyly.

"What?" Stephanie asked.

"Ask him to marry you, I don't think it's that preposterous," Lita shrugged. "I mean, women can ask men, there's nothing wrong with that."

"You really think I should?" Stephanie asked, starting to get excited at the prospect.

"Yeah, I think you should," Lita said. "You want to marry him right? He's the only guy you can see yourself with for the rest of your life right?"

"Yeah, I know that Chris is that elusive 'one.' He's the one I want."

"Then you should go for it."

"But I always thought that the guy should ask."

"That's crap," Lita said. "Take charge. You want to marry him, ask him. You can plan some romantic dinner or something. Then ask him to marry you. I'm not saying you should get down on one knee or something, but you know, just ask."

"I've never done anything like that."

"I'll help you," Lita said. "It'll be fun."

"I guess after Tristan's birthday in a week would be good, right?"

"Yeah, you don't want to have to plan two things," Lita said.

"Ok, I think I'll do that then," Stephanie said. "I'm going to ask him to marry me."

"All right!" Lita said, giving Stephanie a gentle hug so as not to disturb Tristan. "Now don't you have a match?"

"Oh shit!" Stephanie exclaimed. "I do! I've got to get to the gorilla!"

Lita and Stephanie walked quickly down to the gorilla where her match was almost set to start. She was about to go out there when she realized she still had a child in her arms. She couldn't go and wrestle with Tristan, talk about looking awkward. She looked around anxiously for Chris, he was supposed to go out with her.

"Do you want me to take her?" Lita asked.

"Ok," Stephanie said. "Thanks."

She handed off Tristan to Lita, but this caused Tristan to wake up and realize that she was no longer in Stephanie's arms. She looked around and spotted Stephanie, starting to cry and scream. She reached her arms out for Stephanie desperately as Lita tried to hold her in her arms. Stephanie looked at her and then at the stairs to the ramp and then back at Tristan, as if contemplating which to take. She still had about two minutes before she was supposed to go out there.

"MAMA!" Tristan wailed, and Stephanie's eyes widened.

"Did she just call me Mama?" Stephanie asked, now stricken. That was the first time Tristan had added that extra "ma" to her name, and her heart was crumbling along with her resolve.

"Mama," Tristan whimpered, crying for Stephanie.

"Oh God, give her to me," Stephanie said, almost sobbing as she took Tristan back in her arms. She bounced Tristan around a little bit as she coughed and buried her face in Stephanie's neck. Stephanie could hear the end of her crying as she held onto Stephanie's shirt. "I can't go out there with her."

"Where's Chris?" Lita asked.

"Someone say my name?" Chris asked as he walked over with Hunter in tow. "Ready to go out there gorgeous?"

"I can't," Stephanie said, gesturing down to where Tristan was still clinging.

"Can't you give her to Lita or Trips?" Chris asked, grabbing Tristan's hand and rubbing his thumb against the back of her soft, little hand. "She still warm?"

"She didn't want to leave my arms."

"Here, give her to me, you'll just have to go out by yourself," Chris said, taking Tristan from Stephanie. Tristan looked like she was going to start crying again, but Chris kissed her forehead and she calmed down a little bit.

"Ok, I'll be back," Stephanie said. "She called me 'Mama' Chris."

"She did?"

"Yeah, it just came out," Stephanie said with a smile.

"Oh great, she'll be saying every single word except me."

"Bye," Stephanie said, going out for her match.

Stephanie was actually pretty good in her match, after all the moves that Chris had shown her. They had also gotten her some actual wrestling gear so she didn't look stupid. Her outfit wasn't as revealing as other female wrestlers, but it still worked, and gave a little bit of eye candy to the men. She got the win, looking actually pretty legitimate as a contender. She came backstage and saw that Chris was sitting in a folding chair, singing softly to Tristan. She smiled and stood there.

"Good match," Hunter told her. "I'm impressed."

"Uh huh," she said, distracted by the sweet picture that Chris and Tristan were making.

"You ok?"

Stephanie turned to Hunter with a smile, "Keep a secret?"

"Sure."

"I'm going to ask Chris to marry me," she whispered, pulling away with an excited smile, her eyes dancing to and fro. Hunter's eyes widened as he heard her news.

This was going to be complicated.


	72. Chapter 72

"Oh my God, can you believe it!"

"Not really," Chris said with a laugh, "But you know, time flies and all that."

"I just can't believe it's so soon," Stephanie said, "I mean, it's like yesterday she was just this little thing and now she's going to be a whole year old."

"Yeah, her first birthday," he smiled.

"She's not a baby anymore, my baby is growing up," Stephanie said, a wistful look on her face that was tempered with the happiness she felt over her daughter's first birthday.

"OUR baby," Chris corrected, "And she's only one Steph, it's not like she's going off to college."

"Yes, but one goes to two, and then you get up to five and they're off to school and then before you know it, they're graduating high school and moving out."

"Yeah, that'll happen, but we've still got seventeen years to be with her, I think that we're going to be alright. It's just a hunch, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of time."

"You're mocking me because I'm being emotional," she pouted.

"No, I'm mocking you because you're being irrational," he said, "Steph, come here."

She put the balloons she had been hanging up down on the table and walked over to where Chris had been sitting, folding some of the stuff for the party they were having. He opened up his arms to her, gently prodding her with his eyes to come over. She sat down on his lap and let him wrap her tightly in his arms. His left hand gently rubbed circles on her lower back.

"She's only one baby," he said, looking up at her, "She's still little and she can't even talk in full sentences yet."

"Yeah…you're right."

"She's not one going on thirty."

She gave a small laugh, "She's just getting so big, do you remember when she smiled for the first time?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling at the memory, "When we were going to go visit my parents and tell them about her."

"Yeah," she said, "She was just the most adorable baby. We make great children."

"We've only had one, that's not really a substantial basis for analysis."

"When are we going to have another one?"

He leaned up and kissed her, "Not until we're ready for it."

"And when would that be?" she asked, knowing they were just teasing each other after the pregnancy scare they had just had.

"When Trist is older. Let's just enjoy the moment now before we think about more kids," he said as Tristan began to cry loudly from upstairs, "Speak of the little angel, I think the birthday girl just woke up from her nap."

"Her birthday's not until tomorrow," Stephanie reminded him.

"I know what day my daughter was born, even though I wasn't there to see it."

She frowned, "You do know I wanted you there right? That's why I called you, because I wanted you."

He leaned up to kiss her softly, his lips just barely grazing hers, "I know that you did. I'm sorry I couldn't be there. But you had a good man by your side, so I guess I can forgive it this once."

"I'm going to go check on some of the food I'm making for tomorrow, you get Trist?"

"Yeah, sure," he said as she got off of his lap, "My parents said they would be here around five, so that's a couple of hours. I told them one of us would pick them up at the airport but they wanted to rent a car, so we don't have to worry. I know you were worrying about that with the food stuff."

"Oh that's good, I wanted to marinate some of the chicken for the barbeque tomorrow."

"So what are we eating tonight?"

"I was going to order in, or should we cook for your parents?"

"Order in, I'm lazy," he told her, getting up off the chair, "Off to retrieve the birthday girl."

Chris walked upstairs and down the hall to the nursery. He could hear Tristan crying loudly and opened the door to the nursery. Walking over to her crib, he looked down and saw her rubbing her eyes sleepily, a cranky tone to her tears. She looked up at Chris and sniffled a little, with a small pout on her lips.

"Hey you, are you mad because I wasn't here immediately to pick you up and carry you," he said as he lifted her from the crib. She went to suck her thumb and Chris took it gently out of her mouth.

"Yeah," she whispered one of the new words she had been saying, hi being the other new one she had learned within the past week. She would probably learn "no" soon and then that would be all they heard for weeks, but Chris was still hoping for that elusive, "Dada" that had yet to come from her lips. She was trying, he could tell, but she was still only getting that one "da" out there.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he whispered back, "I was talking with Mommy, and she was taking up all my time so if you're going to be mad, be mad at her."

Tristan just laid her head right above his collarbone. He rubbed her back a little and then walked downstairs with her. He set her down on her activity blanket, which had lots of toys and other things on it. She sat down and grabbed a play center and started banging on the console. Chris laid next to her on his side, resting his head against his hand, and reached over to the stereo system nearby to turn on one of his own Fozzy CDs.

As the music started to blast, Tristan stopped what she was doing to look up at the stereo and listen to the music. She played with her toys for a little while longer before walking over to Chris. He smiled at her and tickled her tummy a little causing her to giggle. She looked at the stereo again and started moving around as she stood there. Chris watched her for a moment; she was really just bouncing up and down on her feet, like she was trying to jump, but couldn't get her feet off the ground.

"Trist, are you dancing?"

"Yeah," she said to him as she continued to laugh and bounce around to the music.

Chris chuckled as he called out, "Steph, I think I found myself a new dancer for my Fozzy music videos!"

"What are you talking about!" Stephanie yelled back.

"Come here!"

Stephanie walked out into the living room, wiping her hands on a paper towel. She walked into the room further, wondering what the commotion was about and saw Chris point to their daughter. She looked at Tristan and started laughing. She went to sit down in front of Chris and leaned against his legs as they watched Tristan.

"Tristan, you're a great dancer," Stephanie told her.

"Yeah."

"Well, we definitely know she's our kid," Chris said, "She's got that cocky self-confidence down and she's only a year old."

"I'm not cocky," Stephanie balked.

"Oh, of course not," Chris said, winking at Tristan.

"Mama," Tristan said as she stopped dancing and toddled over to Stephanie with her arms open.

Stephanie hugged Tristan and then held her hands so she was steadier on her feet, "Are you going to dance in Dada's video?"

"Yeah."

"I think you both should," Chris said, leaning up to kiss their cheeks, first Tristan's then Stephanie's.

"And what would I do?"

"Dance, you could be one of my backup dancers, you know, fawn all over me, just shake your stuff for the camera in your sluttiest clothes. I'm sure that you have some."

"And why would I want to be in your video?"

"Because you are my girlfriend and it is customary for people to have their girlfriends appear in their videos, need I remind you of 'Uptown Girl,' or are you clear on the concept?"

"I'm clear, but I think Tristan is the only one out of the two of us who wants to be in one of your videos."

"Ok Trist, I guess you're my girl for the job then." The doorbell rang and Chris looked to Stephanie. "Are you expecting someone?"

"Oh yeah, the stripper I hired for Tristan's birthday is probably here, I wanted to give him a test run."

"Hey, I'm the only one who gets to strip for you," Chris pouted. Stephanie smiled kindly and leaned over to kiss him. He smiled into the kiss before pulling away, rubbing her cheek gently. "I love you."

"Oh, you got me with that one. Fine, I'll send him away, but I don't know who's at the door."

"Trist, you want to go see who's at the door?"

"Yeah!"

"Ok!" Chris said enthusiastically as he stood up. He took both of her hands in his and stood behind her. She wanted to try and run, but she was still new to the whole walking thing so Chris had to help her stand up most of the way.

"Da!" she yelled like he was breaking her stride. She tried to pull her hands away, but he held them and lifted her off of her feet and over the step to the front hall. She tilted her head up to smile at him and he stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

"Are you going to open the door or am I?" he asked her as he set her down and let her stand by herself.

"Da," she said, smiling up at him again and holding her arms out.

"Oh come here you," he said, picking her up and holding her with one arm. She played with the collar of his shirt, "Trist, you're becoming too much like Mama, you're trying to dress me now too huh?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, let's see who's at the door ok?"

She kissed his cheek and he smiled and kissed her forehead. He reached for the knob to the door and opened it to see who was on the other side. Tristan tried to help by grabbing the door in her little hand and trying to pull it open with him. He smiled in surprise as his mother and father stood on the doorstep in front of him.

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing here so early?"

"We managed to catch an earlier flight, I just couldn't stay away from my little granddaughter anymore," Loretta answered.

"Trist, it's Grams and Gramps, say hello to them," Chris said, looking over at Tristan.

"Hi," she said shyly, then hid her face in Chris's neck.

"Oh my God, she said 'hi' to us!" Loretta exclaimed, "She's so big now, I can't believe how big she's gotten, we only saw her four months ago."

"Well yeah Mom, but four months ago she was only nine months old. Now she's a whole year old, aren't you Trist?"

"Yeah," Tristan said, her voice muffled as she still lay cuddled against Chris. She was used to being around new people, but Chris and Stephanie had long ago figured out that Tristan was a lot smarter than she let on. They knew exactly what tactics she used to get the maximum amount of attention and one of those was to be as cute as humanly possible.

"How old are you going to be?" Chris asked her. Tristan silently held up a finger, like Chris had been teaching her and she looked to him for approval. He nodded and kissed her cheek.

"She's so smart," Ted told Chris, "She must get that from Stephanie."

"I'm choosing to ignore that comment," Chris said with a frown.

"Chris, who was it?" Stephanie called out.

"It's my mom and dad."

"Oh, can I hold her?" Loretta asked, looking at Tristan.

"Yeah," Tristan smiled, showing off her teeth for her grandparents. Loretta took Tristan from Chris's grip and Tristan pulled back a little to look at her grandma as if trying to remember her from somewhere.

"Hi Tristan, do you remember me, I'm your grandma."

"Give Grams a kiss Trist," Chris told her.

Tristan leaned over and kissed her on the cheek as Loretta grinned and smiled at Chris. Stephanie walked up behind them and slipped her arm through Chris's as she smiled up at him. He leaned down and kissed her quickly, then looked up at his parents who were looking at them with knowing looks.

"Hi you two," Stephanie said, "How are you?"

"Not as good as you two I don't think," Loretta said with a sly smile, "So how are the two of you?"

"We're fine," Chris said, "Just like we were before."

"Just making sure," Loretta said knowingly while Chris rolled his eyes.

"But we're not here to talk about me, are we Mom?" Chris said to her. "We're here for your granddaughter, so let's try and keep the focus on her shall we?"

"Just because I'm a grandma now doesn't mean that I can't worry about my son. The son who hasn't even asked us into his home while we stand here on the doorsteps like idiots," Loretta said none too subtly.

"Sorry, geez," Chris muttered, him and Stephanie stepping out of the way. Stephanie gave Loretta a light hug, being mindful of Tristan and she hugged Chris's father as well. "So how you doing Pop?"

"I'm fine, your mother is fine, how's Tristan, she being good for you?"

"No, Dad, she won't say my name and I'm getting really impatient, did Mom tell you what her first word was?"

"It wasn't you I take it."

"It wasn't me either," Stephanie laughed, "It was her stuffed animal, we totally got the shaft."

"Yeah," Chris said, "I mean, you'd think that I'd be her first word, but nope, her first word is doggie, I still can't believe that."

"Doggie!" Tristan yelled, pointing towards the ground and then looking at her grandmother. "Doggie."

"Oh, so that's your doggie huh?" she asked kindly.

"Yeah," Tristan said. She looked at the ground and squirmed a little bit. Loretta put her down and Tristan toddled over to her doggie and bent down slowly to pick it up and then bring it back over to her grandma, holding it out, "Doggie."

"Oh, thank you," Loretta said, taking it from her. "She shares already, I'm impressed."

"She shares with everyone. We've got an unselfish little girl," Stephanie said. "I don't know where she gets that from though, certainly not from Chris or me."

Chris laughed, "Speak for yourself. Here, Mom, Dad, let me get your bags, you know where everything is, and if you don't, Tristan will give you the grand tour."

"I wanted to see her room actually," Loretta said, "I've been dying to see this nursery. It'll give me a chance to see what's missing and how I can help put more stuff in it."

"But you already have gifts for her," Chris said. "You told me what they were."

"I know, but we're her grandparents," Ted told him. "That entitles us to spoil her rotten. I'm sure your parents do that Stephanie, right?"

"Yeah, they bought her a crib and table and toys for when we're on the road," Stephanie told them. "She's got nicer digs than we do and she can't even fully appreciate them."

"Well then, we've got a lot of catching up to do then."

"Trist, do you want to show Grandma and Grandpa your room?"

"Yeah," Tristan answered, raising her arms up. Ted picked her up and she scrunched her nose as they went upstairs.

Chris and Stephanie went to follow her parents, but the phone rang at that moment. Stephanie pushed Chris's lower back, silently telling him to go on up ahead while she answered the phone. She walked into the kitchen, almost tripping on one of Tristan's toys along the way and grabbed the phone.

"Tristan's house of toys, may I help you?"

"She giving you trouble?" Hunter asked with a laugh.

"Nah, I almost just broke my neck tripping, but no trouble at all."

"Good, wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"So are you in Florida?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah, we're here, wouldn't want to miss Tristan's birthday. I was actually thinking about something you told me earlier."

"I haven't spoken to you today."

"Not today, the other day, at work."

"Ok, what did I say?" Stephanie asked.

"About you proposing to Chris," Hunter answered.

"Oh yeah, about that, you never told me what you thought about it. Tell me the truth, is it too desperate? Does it make me sound desperate? I don't care, I'm going to do it anyways."

"Steph, do you really think that's such a great idea?" Hunter asked delicately. He knew that Chris was going to propose, and if Stephanie proposed, it would ruin all of the plans that Chris was going through for her. But if he told Chris, then Chris would know that Stephanie was going to propose and Stephanie would get hurt. So he was thinking of doing the only thing that he could, which was to talk Stephanie out of it.

"Why? What have you heard?" Stephanie asked.

"Nothing, I just, you and Chris haven't been seeing each other too long have you?"

"Well, just about five months," Stephanie told him. "But we've been around each other longer, not to mention that we have a child together, one whom we both love, and I love Chris, Hunter."

"I know that you do Steph, but maybe you should wait this out a little bit, make sure that you're really compatible."

"Hunter, do you have a problem with me marrying Chris?"

"No, of course I don't, I mean, I have my own plans, but I'm just wondering if this is the best thing for you. If maybe you should just wait it out a little bit longer."

"Well, I'm going to wait for at least another couple of weeks."

"But Steph, just because you have Tristan doesn't mean that you guys are right for each other. I mean, Tristan is beautiful and everything, but if she's the reason you feel the need to get married."

"She's not," Stephanie said testily. "She's just one of the reasons Hunter. I mean, of course I want Tristan to have that real, idyllic family. I know how kids are these days, how parents are. They always look down on the child whose parents aren't married, because of that word, bastard. I don't want that word associated with my daughter."

"I don't want Tristan associated with that either, but Steph, be reasonable, if you were dating any other guy, would you be thinking about getting married after five months together?"

"No, but this is not your regular situation. I mean…and no offense to you. I slept with him over a year ago, we were intimate, and however screwed up our relationship was, we still kind of had one, even if it was just because of the baby. I want this Hunter, and I want Chris to know that I'm in this for the long haul, that I'm in this relationship."

"I think he knows."

"Well then this will confirm it then."

Hunter sighed. Stephanie was being difficult again. She was always being difficult. It was what he used to love about her, but now that she was just a friend, it was really frustrating and irritating. But he couldn't betray Chris's confidence and tell her what was going on.

"Steph, we'll talk tomorrow ok?"

"Ok, but you're not talking it out of me, Hunter, you're just not."


	73. Chapter 73

"Hey Birthday Girl," Stephanie whispered the next morning. "Wake up Birthday Girl."

Chris showed up in the doorway, his hair messed up and only in a pair of boxers. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning. A few minutes earlier, Stephanie had been slapping his chest trying to wake him up, but he hadn't been responding. It was seven in the morning, but Tristan was still asleep because she had been up later than usual last night, what with all the excitement of her grandparents being around.

Now Stephanie was trying to wake up their daughter by talking to her, not considering the fact that maybe Tristan would've just liked to have slept instead of being woken up by her mother, but Stephanie was even more excited for this birthday than Tristan was. Tristan probably didn't even know what all this fuss was about. Stephanie kept whispering to her daughter as Chris took a few steps into the room.

"Steph, what are you doing?" Chris asked.

"I'm trying to wake Tristan up, it's her birthday," Stephanie grinned.

"I know, I've known that for a year now," Chris said. "But why do you feel the need to wake her up?"

"I just want her to be up so she can enjoy her birthday…and so that we can have a little bit of time with her, just us, you know, since we're having so many people over later, I figured that maybe we could steal a moment that will just be about us," Stephanie said, biting her lip. Chris knew that there was no way that he was going to out-argue her with this one.

"Ok, fine, but bring her into our bedroom, because I want to go back to bed," Chris said, leaving the room.

Stephanie didn't have time to respond to him before he turned around and left the room. Seeing that she wasn't exactly having the best success with waking up Tristan, Stephanie decided to just pick her up. She gently picked her up, causing Tristan to wake up and start crying. Stephanie rubbed her back and quickly walked into her and Chris's bedroom.

"See, I knew that she was going to be all angry with you," Chris said, laying on his back in bed, his hand over his eyes. "But you couldn't let her sleep."

"She's quieting down," Stephanie said. "Come on Trist, Mommy and Daddy just wanted a moment with you, is that too much to ask?"

"Yeah," Tristan mumbled, which caused Chris to start cracking up. Stephanie glared at him, but it was futile because he still had his hand over his eyes.

"Oh shut up," Stephanie said instead, coming over to the bed and sitting down. "Tristan, Mommy had the best of intentions, I promise you that."

"Mama," Tristan said, even as she crawled out of Stephanie's arms and onto the bed. She crawled over to where Chris was and he finally took his arm off of his eyes as he felt her touch his arm. He looked down at her and smiled, letting her stand herself up and lean herself across his chest. "Da."

"Yeah, I'm Da," Chris told her. Tristan laid her head down on Chris's chest and looked up at him with a smile. She slapped his stomach a few times. "What are you doing Trist?"

"She's being a Daddy's girl," Stephanie answered, laying back down next to Chris, being mindful of Tristan. She laid her head next to Chris's shoulder. "Cause she loves you."

"Well I should hope so with all the money I spend on her," Chris joked. "She's a spoiled, little Daddy's girl is what she is."

"Trist, do you know what today is?" Stephanie asked, though she didn't expect Tristan to know what today is. She probably had no recollection of being born, not that she should, since who really remembers being born?

"Yeah," Tristan said, still leaning on Chris's chest.

"You do?" Stephanie asked in surprise.

"Yeah."

"What day is it then?"

"Yeah," Tristan said, then laughing as she heard Chris laughing, his chest going up and down, moving Tristan along with it. Tristan didn't know what was so funny, but just hearing that other people were laughing made her want to laugh too.

"Today's your birthday baby," Stephanie explained to her, and Tristan had no reaction because she didn't know what a birthday was. She was a smart little girl, but she wasn't a super genius baby or anything. "A year ago you were born."

"I'm not sure she's getting what you're saying Stephanie," Chris told her as Tristan had abandoned listening to her Mommy and concentrated on playing with her father's long hair.

"Well it's a special day anyways," Stephanie said to him. "I mean, a year ago, right this second, I was in incredible, searing, unbearable pain and it was all because of her. Oh, and you too, since you were the cause of it."

"Hey, I may have had a hand in it, but you were the one who wanted me, let's not forget who the desperate one was that night," Chris told her, adding a kiss to her temple for good measure.

"But that didn't stop you from stopping me," Stephanie added smugly. "You could've just held me, but nope, that's not what you did, you had to get me pregnant, and then make my life chaos for the next ten months."

"You made it chaotic on your own," Chris said, watching Tristan again.

Stephanie didn't say anything else as she watched her boyfriend and daughter playing with each other. Chris was thinking though, thinking about a year ago. It wasn't the best day of his life, though it should've been. People are always saying how the day their kids were born was the best day of their lives, a life-changing event even. But it wasn't for him, for him it was another dark day to add to a long list of dark days before it and after it, only it stung a little deeper and didn't fade into the background.

He had been drunk, again, that evening, waiting to go to bed when he was exhausted, not tired, but exhausted. The sun was coming up when he finally got into his cold, lonely bed, and he had fallen into a fitful sleep, aided by the copious amounts of alcohol he had been drinking that night, the alcohol that seemed to consume him at the time.

And then the phone had rung and it had been Stephanie and she had told him that she was in labor, had told him that she was having his baby at that very moment, and yet, he was still alone in that bed, not there, not being with her, not seeing his child be born, not seeing her for the first few minutes of life. He had swallowed that hurt a long time ago, but he remembered it; he remembered sitting on his bed, sitting there thinking about how things had ended up this way, why he was so damn worried about a woman who had no concern for him whatsoever. And he realized that night it was because of the little thing lying on his chest right now, poking his chin with her little finger.

He could never hate Stephanie, not really, not even then, not even on the morning she had Tristan and let Hunter believe that he was holding his little girl and not Chris's. He had been hurt, beyond belief, beyond any feeling his body could muster, but he didn't hate her, not when she had so carefully and lovingly carried his daughter for nine months and gone through the stings of labor for their child.

Stephanie looked up at Chris and saw that he was deep in thought, not even noticing that Tristan was standing up and staring at him. She wondered what he was thinking about so hard. Tristan sat down again and yawned, laying her head back on Chris's chest, but still he hardly seemed to take notice of it.

"What're you thinking about?" Stephanie asked quietly.

"I was in this bed," he said.

Stephanie was confused and her face showed it, "You were in this bed when?"

"When you went into labor," he answered, looking at her pointedly. His eyes were piercing and Stephanie had a hard time keeping his stare. "I was sleeping right here where I am now, and you called and that's how I found out I was going to have a child on this day. I didn't find out it was a girl until six days later, but I knew you had had the baby."

"Right here huh?"

"Yup, right here. I had been drinking that evening, I don't remember how much, but it was a lot. I was sitting on my back porch and it was getting colder and colder, but I didn't care, I didn't feel it. The sun came up and I was so exhausted I dragged myself up to my room and fell into bed. I was asleep when you called me, and I do remember the terror that ran right to my stomach when you sounded like you were in pain. I swear I thought that something had happened to Tristan. I thought that she was in trouble, that she was sick or…not with us anymore. I was relieved to hear that you were alright."

Stephanie had tears in her eyes over his story. He didn't like to talk about the past, at least not the past when she had been pregnant. He was a fan of the now, of when he was happy, and it still broke her hear to think that she had been the one to cause all of this, that it had all been her fault, all of it.

Chris saw that she had tears in her eyes and kissed her temple again, "Don't cry Stephanie, it's not something I dwell on."

"I don't deserve you," Stephanie said brokenly.

"If you cry Stephanie, I'm going to get angry. It's Trist's birthday, no tears on her birthday."

"Ok," Stephanie said, trying to blink away her tears. "You're right, it's Tristan's birthday and it's a good day. Today is going to be a great day. We should probably get up though and start getting stuff ready for everything. I have to go check on the food and make Tristan breakfast, can you get her ready for the day?"

"I absolutely can, you want to go change and get pretty Trist?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," Tristan said.

A while later, the party was in full swing. They had invited all their friends and family so there was quite a few people there. Tristan was amazed at all the people there, and even more amazed that every one of them came up to her and acting all happy and excited. She was happy to walk around and visit everybody in her jeans and mini-sized Jericho shirt, which everyone thought was absolutely adorable. Chris had had it made especially for her. On the front it said, "Raw is Jericho," and on the back it said, "Daddy's Girl Style."

Stephanie was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on Tristan's cake for later. Hunter was watching her from the doorway. He thought he would be a little bit upset over this day, since it was a year ago that he thought his daughter had been born, but he found that he wasn't bitter or sad or anything, he was just happy for Stephanie and Chris. And he still had a part in Tristan's life, it wasn't like he never saw her.

"Hey you, why aren't you out at the party?" Hunter asked as a startled Stephanie turned around.

"Oh Hunter, you scared me," Stephanie said. "I was just finishing up Tristan's cake."

"How hard is it to put one candle on a cake?" Hunter asked with a laugh.

"Oh shut up," Stephanie said. "So why aren't YOU out at the party?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" she asked.

"Your idea for Chris," Hunter said, looking around. He didn't see anyone around and walked further into the kitchen so he was right next to her. "About your proposal."

Stephanie groaned, "Hunter please, just let me do this."

"Stephanie, I just think that you should wait, I mean, don't YOU want to get proposed to and not the other way around?"

"I don't see how it matters," Stephanie said. "Sure, maybe once upon a time it would've been nice to be proposed to, but I want to take charge of my life. I don't even know if Chris is thinking about asking me, and I don't want to wait Hunter. I want a life with Chris now."

"But you have a life," Hunter argued. "Look around Stephanie. You have a home with him, you're with him, AND you have a daughter with him. That's a life, you have a life with him."

"I just want to cement it," Stephanie told him. "Besides, why do you care so much? We're divorced Hunter, you shouldn't be so invested in my love life. I'm not crowing over how much you want to propose to Stacy."

"We've been together longer than you and Chris."

"I know, trust me," Stephanie said, giving him a side-long glance. "But WE have a daughter."

"Touché," Hunter responded. "But look, it took me a long time to know that I wanted to marry Stacy. I thought about it a lot, I thought of all the good things and the bad things about marrying her."

"Name a bad thing," Stephanie told him.

"The fact that everyone would know that we got together because I was having an affair with her, and cheating on you," Hunter said, stating the obvious. "Stacy is still nervous to be around me in public because of that. She doesn't want to be looked at like a whore, which she isn't."

"She's not, It was just bad timing is all…of course, if you had asked me that a year and a half ago, I would've called her a big, fat whore," Stephanie said sweetly. "But I'm completely over that, I have Chris and Tristan. And I've mulled, and mulled, and mulled, and can I let you in on something, something that you cannot let Chris know that you know."

"What?" Hunter asked, curious now.

"I've thought about the bad things too, I've thought about all the reasons why I shouldn't marry Chris, and there are a lot, there are so many reasons why I should just walk out that door and never come back and never show my face again."

"Why, for what possible reason could you leave here and never come back?"

"One night…I'd say a few weeks after Tristan was born, I went to go see Chris, I found him drunk in his locker room…and I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't wake up, he had drank so much that he had passed out and I was so scared for him. And it was all because of me, because I didn't tell the truth. I ripped his heart out and I stomped on it. Six days after Tristan was born, when we took her to her first show, I asked Chris to sign away all his rights to her, I had him sign papers saying that he would take no part in her life, that he would stay out of it. He didn't even know that Tristan was a girl, he didn't know what she was or her name until you told him when you wanted him to baby-sit her. And he signed them, and he never told you, and he respected every single, stupid wish I wanted. And yet…this man has the capacity to love me, to want to be with me and smile at me and kiss me, when he should be spitting at me. He took me in without a word…and THAT'S why I should just walk out of here."

Hunter felt like he had to sit down because that was almost too much to take. "I had no idea."

"Hardly anybody knows the full story," Stephanie said. "Chris hates to talk about it because he feels like we've moved on and it doesn't have anything to do with us anymore, but I still think about it and remember it, and I still remember trying to wake him up and he wouldn't and it haunts me sometimes."

"Does he still drink?" Hunter asked cautiously.

"Oh no," Stephanie said, "Not really since Tristan and I came to live with him. We don't have any alcohol in the house usually, and when we go out, he'll have one drink and that's it. He doesn't like to drink when he's with Tristan."

"So he was drinking as a direct result from what happened?"

"Yeah, but that's over now, I just…back then, I was scared he would kill himself, that's why I told you the truth."

"And he loves you."

"Shocking huh?" Stephanie said with a wry laugh. "After all the things I've done to him, he still loves me. He loves me Hunter, and he forgave me for all of it, even though I didn't deserve to be forgiven."

Hunter didn't know what to say. He knew that he should stop Stephanie from proposing to Chris, but after hearing that story, after hearing what Chris had been through because of Stephanie, he couldn't fault her for thinking that it was a good idea. Hell, he was starting to think that it was a good idea for her to propose to him. He had been through so much for her, and this would definitely be a surprise for him.

"Well then…"

"NOW do you see where I'm coming from with this?" Stephanie asked.

"I see," Hunter nodded.

"Hey you two, what the hell are you doing in here?" Chris said, popping his head inside. "You better not be having an affair or something, because then we'd just be right back where we started."

"Hold your horses Chris," Stephanie said. "I was just getting Tristan's cake ready."

"Well, everyone is waiting for it and Tristan is already in her highchair and you've been in here forever. How long does it take to stick a candle in a cake and light it?"

"Shove it," Stephanie said, picking up a lighter and lighting the candle. "It's ready anyways jerk."

"Finally," Chris said. "Come on Hunter, you don't want to miss the festivities."

Hunter followed Stephanie out of the kitchen and out to the backyard, which was decorated with balloons and streamers and a banner that said, "Happy 1st Birthday Tristan" in big, bold letters. Tristan had a little party hat on that she was hating, but she couldn't quite figure out how to get it off. She saw her Mommy walking towards her with something bright and she stared in awe. Everyone started singing for her and she looked around, wondering what they were doing and why they were saying her name in this song. When they were through, they all clapped and thinking that was a good idea, Tristan clapped too.

"Happy birthday baby girl," Stephanie said, setting down the cake in front of her and kissing her cheek.

"Yeah, happy birthday beautiful," Chris added, kissing her other cheek. "So come on and blow out the candle so we can have cake."

Tristan didn't know what to do and looked almost like a deer caught in the headlights. She just sat there and her lip quivered, looking like she was about to cry. Everyone was staring at her and she just sat there. Chris started laughing and she watched expectantly as her daddy came and knelt next to her highchair.

"You want Daddy to blow out your candle for you?" Chris asked her.

"Yeah," she answered, which made everyone laugh. She sent them a little smile. Even though she didn't know what to do, she recognized attention when she was getting it.

"Ok," Chris said and blew out the candle as everyone clapped, including Tristan.

Chris took the candle out of the cake and started cutting it up. He took a small piece first and handed the plate to Tristan who dug into it with both hands, effectively getting chocolate everywhere on her person. Stephanie took a deep breath and resisted the urge to go clean her daughter up. She would let Tristan be messy, she was a baby, with chocolate in her hands, she was bound to be messy.

"She's so adorable," Lita said as she walked up with a huge slice of cake. Those cravings were already starting to kick in.

"Thanks," Stephanie said. "I just can't believe she's an entire year old."

"It's amazing," Lita said. "So now that her birthday is almost over, are we going to start thinking of the other plan?"

Stephanie looked at Chris, who was busy shoving cake into his face alongside Tristan, causing the little girl to giggle madly as she watched her daddy devour the cake. She took a chunk of her cake and shoved it into Chris's face, which surprised him even as Tristan started giggling even more, a sweet, high-pitched sound. Stephanie loved the picture, loved her life, and she turned to Lita.

"Most definitely."


	74. Chapter 74

Lita was lying on the bed in her hotel room. Matt had already left for the show, but she didn't think she would be accompanying him tonight. Her morning sickness had decided to manifest itself into an all-day sickness and she was too tired and nauseous to even get off the bed. That's why the knocking on the door only made her groan.

"Who is it!" she yelled out.

"Triple H!" came the reply.

Now Lita knew that Stephanie and Hunter were still good friends despite their divorce, and she knew that Hunter and Chris were starting to become good friends too, which seemed weird, but somehow wasn't, but she and Hunter had never really talked. Now he was here and she hated the little nerves spindling their way through her body. She knew that Hunter wasn't as mean as he had been, but there was still that twinge of a mean streak in him that set something off inside of her…or maybe that was just the baby.

She reluctantly got off the bed and made her way to the door slowly, hoping not to jostle her stomach and make her throw up again. She opened the door and smiled hesitantly at Hunter. Hunter, for his own part, noticed she looked a little green around the gills and hoped that he wasn't disturbing her.

"Um, hey," Hunter said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was hoping that we could talk. If you're not busy that is."

Hunter seemed nervous and Lita had NEVER seen that before. "Um, can I ask what this is about?"

"It's about Stephanie."

"Oh God, you want her again," Lita said, her eyes wide.

"No, God no," Hunter said, shaking his head. "It's about Stephanie and Chris."

"You want to break them up?" Lita asked suspiciously.

"Ok, I know I don't have the best track record around here, but you know, you don't have to think that I'm always up to something bad," Hunter said. "I could just as easily be seeking out your help."

"My help? With what?"

"Well if you let me speak," Hunter muttered under his breath, but loud enough so that Lita could definitely hear it.

"Well fine, go ahead then," Lita said, crossing her arms.

"Look…Stephanie said that you were going to help her propose to Chris, and therein lies my problem. The entire Stephanie proposing to Chris thing, that's what I came here to talk to you about."

"What about it? I thought that it was a great idea," Lita shrugged carelessly. "I want Stephanie to be happy, she's been a good friend and she's really helping me with all of this pregnancy stuff. She wants to marry Chris and I told her to go for it, I think it's great for them."

"I think its great too, believe me," Hunter said. "But that's not the problem."

"Well then what IS the problem?" Lita asked, wishing he would just get to the point. "I mean, what? I know it's not traditional for the girl to propose to the guy, but sometimes you've got to buck tradition and go with what feels right."

"Yeah, I agree, I think its fine that Stephanie is proposing to him, I just find it hard to think this is a good idea when Chris is going to propose to HER!"

"What!" Lita asked, eyes widening. She had definitely not heard anything about Chris proposing to Stephanie. She didn't even know that Chris was thinking about it. And from talking to Stephanie, she didn't have any clue either.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but I've been kind of helping Chris with his plan to propose to Stephanie. Then I find out from Stephanie that SHE'S going to propose to Chris and I think that you see my dilemma."

"Yeah, come in," Lita said, opening the door and allowing Hunter entrance. "Don't you have to be at the show?"

"I don't have anything except at the end of the show," Hunter said, "Mind if I sit?"

"No, go right ahead," Lita said, taking a seat of her own on one end of the couch, curling up as she looked at Hunter. "So you need help figuring out what to do?"

"Exactly. And since you're helping Stephanie, I figured you would be my best bet," Hunter explained. "The thing is, I know that Chris wants to ask her, but when Stephanie told me her reasons for wanting to be the one that asked, well, I can't help but want her to do it and not him, but I know that Chris wants to do it."

"Yeah, that is complicated," Lita nodded. "Well, they love each other, it's easy to think they'd both want to propose to each other. Stephanie didn't know if Chris was thinking about it though, and that's the main reason that she wanted to do it, because she's ready for it."

"Ok, well that's something I guess."

"Well, why don't I go with you to the show, and I'll kind of poke around and see if Stephanie would rather be proposed to. And if that's the case, then we'll just have to make sure that Chris asks her before she asks him."

"Are you ok to go tonight, you don't look so good?" Hunter asked, taking in how she looked kind of sick.

"I'll be fine," Lita told him. "It's just baby stuff. I've been nauseous so much it's not even funny. I'm starting to think that this baby hates me. Stephanie is so lucky, she said she hardly ever got sick."

"Yeah, that's true, but she's a McMahon, they're never out of control," Hunter said, and he wasn't even joking or lying.

"Yeah, that's true. She's still lucky though," Lita said, "Come on, let's go before I start to get any sicker and then can't go at all."

"We can do this another time or you can just call Steph if you're really feeling badly," Hunter said, really feeling bad that he was going to have to drag a sick Lita to the show. He didn't really know what had come over him these past months. He was starting to think that everything that had happened had changed him into a good person. It was such a departure from how he used to be.

"No, I think that I should be alright," Lita said. "It's just an upset stomach, that's it."

"Ok, so did you want to get some stuff, or can we go?"

"Um, let me just grab my bag and then I should be ready."

Hunter nodded as she stood up and disappeared into the bedroom area. Hunter went and stood by the door. He was glad that Lita trusted him enough to at least hear him out, although she didn't really have any reason not to trust what he had to say. She came back a moment later and he held the door open for her and led her down to his car. Stacy had caught a ride with Torrie so he didn't have to worry about her and then the two of them were off.

They didn't really talk in the car, having nothing to really talk about. Hunter dropped Lita off near the door for two reasons: so she wouldn't have to walk with her upset stomach and so they wouldn't be seen together. That would be highly suspicious and word might get to Chris or Stephanie, or worse, to Stacy and Matt. Lita entered the building, glad to be out of the car where she had been on the verge of throwing up.

"Li?" Lita heard as she turned and saw Trish. "What are you doing here? Matt said that you weren't feeling well."

"I'm not," Lita said sadly, "But I just couldn't stay in my hotel room any longer, it was getting so boring. I just wanted to come here and you know, be at the show, even if I can't be on the show."

"Oh, well come on, let's get you to Matt and Jeffy's locker room. You can rest in there."

"Ok," Lita said, not in the mood to argue when she felt so crappy. She was starting to regret coming here in the first place. Maybe she should've listened to Hunter when he said they could do this another time.

They were walking to the locker room when they ran into Chris, who jogged over and smiled. "Hey girls, what's up?"

"I'm just helping Lita to the locker room," Trish explained.

"Is everything ok?" Chris asked, concerned for the redhead. "Do you want me to get Matt?"

"No, it's just the usual pregnancy upset stomach. I read that some women just get sick more than others. I guess I'm one of the lucky few that gets the worst of it."

"Are you sure that you're going to be fine?" Chris asked again, noticing that Lita was not looking well at all. She looked like she was about to purge and he did not want to be here to see that. Granted he was around Tristan when she used to spit up when she was a baby, but that was completely different. Tristan was his daughter and it made it less gross somehow.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Lita told him. "Hey, where's Steph and Tristan?"

Chris shrugged, "I don't know. Around somewhere I'm sure. I was discussing something about a match I have later on. Why, did you want to talk to Steph?"

"Yeah, actually, I did, so if you see her, can you tell her I'm looking for her?" Lita asked.

"Yeah, of course. I'll go look for her right now," Chris told her. "You shouldn't be up and walking when you feel so crappy."

"Thanks," Lita said gratefully. "So has Tristan said your name yet?"

Chris sighed dramatically. "Nope, it's like she's refusing to say it. I swear, she's doing it on purpose, making me sweat and think that she won't ever say it and then when I least expect it she'll say it and give me that smile of hers that lets me know that she's got me completely wrapped around her finger."

"You don't sound too upset," Trish joked.

"It'll happen, I just have to be patient about it, but I'll let you help Lita to the locker room so she isn't forced to stand around here anymore."

Chris walked off and Lita let Trish help her to the locker room, leading her inside where Matt was sitting, talking over something with Jeff. Matt looked up, his eyes wide as he saw Trish leading his wife into the room. He hadn't been expecting Lita to show up at all tonight so her appearance was shocking, and he thought the worst.

"Lita, is everything ok? Is the baby…"

"The baby's fine," Lita said. "I just felt like coming. It's not a crime."

"But you were feeling awful."

"I know, but I still wanted to come here," Lita said, sitting on the couch, Matt helping her sit down. "I swear you guys, I'm going to be fine. It's just nausea, I can deal with it, I've been though a hell of a lot worse than a little nausea."

"Ok," Matt said, but he still looked worried. "And you're sure that you're ok to be here? I can take you back to the hotel really quick if you want."

"No, I think I'm going to be ok as long as I don't go do anything strenuous or you know, go on a roller coaster or something."

"Jeffy, come with me to catering so I don't have to eat all alone," Trish said, making it more than obvious that she wanted to give Matt and Lita some alone time together. Jeff didn't pick up on it right away though so Trish grabbed both his hands in hers and pulled him up. "Come on, you're hungry too right?"

"No, but if you really want the company…"

"I do," Trish said, practically shoving Jeff out the door, leaving with a, "Bye guys."

"I hate to leave you Li, but I've got to go talk to Edge about a match that we have later, is it ok if I leave you?"

"It's fine, I'm a big girl," Lita said, smiling at him. He nodded and kissed her softly while simultaneously rubbing her stomach. She grinned against his mouth at that and barely noticed the gasp coming from the door.

"Oops, I didn't mean to interrupt," Stephanie said, feeling embarrassed that she had walked in on what was obviously a private moment.

Lita turned to the brunette, "Oh, it's cool Steph, I wanted to talk to you anyways."

"Yeah, Chris told me, before he stole my daughter away," Stephanie laughed. "I think he's going to go brainwash her with some heavy metal music or something. Hopefully he doesn't make my daughter into some goth. I don't think I could handle that."

Lita laughed, then turned to Matt, "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, bye, bye Steph," Matt said on his way out.

Stephanie said her goodbye to him and then sat down next to Lita. "So what was it that you needed to discuss with me?"

"Just about your thing with Chris," Lita said, broaching the subject carefully. "About the proposal."

"Oh, I was thinking about it and I was thinking that something small and romantic would be the best way to go about it. I don't want to make a huge deal out of it, but I want it to be special enough that Chris knows I'm being absolutely serious."

"Oh, well, I'm not sure."

"And then I was thinking, should Tristan be there?" Stephanie said, "I mean, she is our daughter and she is a big reason of why we're together at the moment or why we're together at all really. I mean, without her, I don't think I would've even divorced Hunter at all. So I was like, well, I think she should be there, she is our family."

"Yeah, she is," Lita said, finding this very difficult with how excited Stephanie sounded about this entire thing. She had to go about this in a different direction. "I remember when Matt proposed to me, it was very sweet, but not cheesy, that's important."

"Yeah, it is, did Matt say anything romantic?" Stephanie asked.

"Not really, but what he did say was wonderful," Lita said. "It's nice to get proposed to."

"I wouldn't know, even though I've been married," Stephanie laughed.

"Yeah, but what if Chris were to propose to you, would you be against that?"

"No, of course not, I'd LOVE for him to propose to me, but I just don't think he's thought that far ahead though. That's why I want to take the initiative, to show him that I'm IN this relationship, that I want this."

Lita couldn't tell her that Chris was thinking about proposing and from what Hunter said, he had already bought the ring and everything. If he had the ring ready and he was just waiting for the right moment, Lita could guess that he was on the same boat as Stephanie on the whole marriage thing. This was just like Hunter had said, it was very difficult and very tricky. Maybe she would have to get Chris to propose first, maybe that was the key to all of this.

"But if he were to propose first, you wouldn't be against that?"

"No, I wouldn't," Stephanie said. "I mean, I would definitely love it, but like you said before, a guy doesn't HAVE to be the one to ask. And I'm a McMahon, dammit, I should be able to do whatever I want, when I want to do it."

"Yeah, that's right," Lita said, laughing nervously. "You should definitely take charge if that's what you want."

"Oh, I will, I am, with this," Stephanie giggled. "So help me think!"

Lita realized that she and Hunter had a lot of work to do.


	75. Chapter 75

"So dinner is a definite, and then I think I'm going to just casually bring it up. It would look silly if I got down on one knee or something."

"What about a ring?" Lita asked.

"Well, I don't think that would be cool. I mean, guys only really wear rings when they're married, so I think just asking him would be great. Besides, that way, he can still buy me a ring."

Lita laughed, "And that's what it's all about isn't it?"

"Not ALL about, but it's a good thing," Stephanie giggled. "I still want some of the traditional things. I just have to be the one doing the asking. It's not a big deal, the outcome is the same."

"Exactly, so have you decided on a date to do it yet? Or is that still up in the air?"

Lita had to get the dirt on what was going on. If she could find out this information from Stephanie then Hunter would know, and then he could do something about it with Chris. It was a complicated game of Telephone, but hopefully it worked and everyone would turn out happy. But if things didn't turn out, then they could just slink into the background. That was the good thing about having a secret plan, nobody knew about it.

"I'm doing it next Monday," Stephanie said excitedly. "I think that's as good a time as any. Maybe next Saturday; we'll have gotten home the day before, so that gives me enough time to get everything ready, and we won't be rushed because of any shows."

"I think that next Saturday is a great idea," Lita encouraged. The more definite the date became, the more she and Hunter could plan out what they needed to do. This had to work, but either way, the outcome was going to be the same, Chris and Stephanie WERE going to be engaged or else she and Hunter might lock them in a room all over again.

"Cool, now I just need think of everything that I need to get and what I need to wear and what Tristan has to wear because she has to look adorable too."

"We'll think of something I promise. I'm going to head out though, I'm starting to get hungry and I don't want to keep the baby waiting."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Stephanie apologized profusely. "You should've just told me, I would've let you go when you started to get hungry! I know how it is to get really hungry just all of a sudden."

"Thanks," Lita said, standing up. "My appetite seems to have tripled, I hope I don't eat this much the whole time."

"Nah, you won't, at least I didn't, it'll get better and easier as time goes on…well not so much the easier, but you get used to it I guess."

"I'll see you later, tell Chris and Tristan I said hello."

"Bye Lita."

Lita walked away and out the door. She had to go find Hunter, but she also had to make it inconspicuous so as not to arise suspicion. It was still weird to think that she was planning something with Hunter Hearst Helmsley of all people. She didn't know when he had changed or the reasons why, but he was definitely a different person. Maybe the combination of Stephanie and Hunter was just toxic and they were just better off with different people. It seemed to make sense to her.

She walked down the hallway and prepared herself to knock on Hunter's locker room door. They had come up with a plan that if Stacy were the one who answered the door, Lita would pretend like she had knocked on the wrong door, and chalk it up to her pregnant screwiness. How that explained anything or made any sense, she didn't know, but they hadn't been caught yet, so she was just going with the flow. She knocked on the door, tapping her foot quietly against the floor as she waited for someone to answer.

Thankfully it was Hunter, but he HAD been expecting her so it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to be the one to open the door. He let her inside quickly and she slipped into the room, going unnoticed by anybody. She sat down on the couch in his room, looking for any signs of Stacy, but he must've sent her out.

Sensing what she was thinking, Hunter said, "She's not here, she went to catering with Torrie."

"Oh, good, well, I talked to Stephanie."

"And?"

"She's planning it for next Saturday, not this Saturday, but the next one. So we have a little over a week to derail her plans, or derail Chris's, whichever one we decide."

"Yeah, we should probably find that out, if anything," Hunter said, rolling his eyes at the situation. "But I think it has to be Chris, I think we have to let him propose, because I know Stephanie, and I know she'd like to be proposed to once in her life."

"Yeah, I agree, so we have to think of a way to subtly tell Chris that he has to get his ass in gear and propose to her already. I mean, what is he waiting for? They have a daughter who's over a year old, you'd think he would've asked already."

"Well you know him better than I do," Hunter said, then shrugged. "I don't know what goes through his head. But did you know how much shit he had to go through because of Stephanie?"

"Not specifically. Why? Do YOU know what went down? I mean, I know you two were married, and then you weren't and suddenly Chris is Tristan's father, and you weren't, and you seemed ok with it, and then Chris and Stephanie just kind of came together and I never really thought about it."

"I had an affair with Stacy while I was with Stephanie, she slept with Chris when she found out, then we got back together and she found out she was having Tristan, and well, you can guess from there…"

"Yeah, she had to lie, but you know, I did notice that Chris was different during that time, almost withdrawn or something, and he always looked so tired."

"He started drinking," Hunter said plainly. "And by Stephanie's account, it was a lot of drinking. He was probably drunk when he went out and wrestled."

"Because he lost Stephanie?" Lita asked, in shock that she had been so blind to this situation that had been happening to her close friend.

"No, because he knew about Tristan being his daughter, he found out when Stephanie was like three months pregnant or something."

"Oh my God…and he started drinking to ease the pain. Chris isn't one to really discuss his problems with people that he isn't really close with, and God, it must've been killing him! I can't believe Steph would do that."

"It's why she eventually told the truth, she was worried about Chris."

"I never even knew, Chris is one of my best friends, and I…I didn't even know," Lita said, gasping a little bit. "And now they're like the best couple in the world, God, life works out in some weird ways."

"I think a lot of that has to do with Tristan."

"Yeah, maybe we should talk to her and see if she has any ideas for us, she must know Chris and Stephanie better than anyone else, hell, she's part of both of them."

"Yeah, and she's probably the easiest to talk to," Hunter said, causing Lita to laugh, which he joined in on a few moments later. "It's sad, but true. Trust me, I was married to Stephanie."

"And I've known Chris for years, so I know how he is," Lita said, still laughing. "Ok, well, we're just going to have to mention it to Chris, well, YOU'LL have to mention it to Chris. Just tell him something like, you shouldn't wait until Tristan is five years old before you propose to Stephanie. And he already has a ring, so he should do it already before the ring depreciates in value."

"I don't know if that is going to be a driving factor, but I'm going to go talk to him now while this conversation is still fresh in my mind. Wish me luck."

"Good luck…and I have to say Hunter, you're not a bad guy and I've actually enjoyed spending time with you. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be jumping naked into your arms anytime soon, but with Stephanie and Chris hopefully getting married, we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other, and I don't think I'm going to dread it as much as I used to."

"You know, if you weren't married, I'd probably be attracted to you since you don't bullshit like some girls I know."

"Stacy?"

"Nah, Stacy is great," he said with a smile.

"So why haven't you proposed to her yet then? You chicken too?"

"How did you--"

"I saw you twirling it on your finger when we were talking the other day. It caught my eye, and I figured that you weren't going to propose to me so it had to be for Stacy. What's wrong with you that you can't propose to her?"

"Nothing, I just haven't found the right moment yet. I'll find one though."

"Yeah, that's what they all say. Don't wait until you and Stacy have a five year old to propose to her."

"I'll do it, geez, are you this pushy with Matt?"

"Worse," Lita winked.

Hunter laughed and left the room. He actually found himself fond of Lita, and it was so strange. Things were changing so rapidly around here that he had speed up to keep up with everything. Chris and Stephanie were on the verge of getting engaged, he was on the verge of getting engaged with Stacy, he was hanging out AND having fun with Lita of all people. Things were getting strange around here, very, very strange.

Chris's daughter's voice preceded Hunter seeing him as he heard Tristan yelling. "Da!"

"Ok, ok, I'll pick you up," Chris said as Hunter turned the corner and saw Chris picking up Tristan as she swung a stuffed animal from her hands, giggling in Chris's direction. He growled at her, causing her to laugh more.

"Hey Chris," Hunter said, walking up to him.

Chris turned and smiled, "Hey Trips, what's up?"

"Not much," he answered, turning to Tristan. "Hey there cutie, I could hear you from all the way around the corner, do you know how loud you are?"

"Yeah," Tristan told him.

"Well, as long as you know then, I guess I have no argument for that."

"So what's up man?" Chris asked, swatting away Tristan's stuffed animal as she shoved it in his face.

"Not much, just walking around. Saw you, thought I'd talk to you, where's Stephanie?"

"I think she's talking to her dad or something. I just know that I have Tristan."

"So have you thought about you know, the whole ring thing yet?"

"Yeah, still trying to think of a great time to do it," Chris said lowly so that nobody would hear what he was saying and somehow tell Stephanie that he was planning on proposing. He just didn't know when he was going to be able to do the proposing. He wanted it to be perfect, but he didn't know how to do perfect. He didn't know what to do for Stephanie that would adequately illustrate how much he loved her.

"Soon, you should do it as soon as possible." Hunter tried not to cringe at how he said that. He almost sounded desperate for Chris to propose, and that would seem weird to Chris since he didn't know that he and Lita were working together to get these two hitched.

"Why?"

"Because don't you want to get married, I mean, Tristan isn't getting any younger, and neither are you guys."

"So?"

"I just want to see Stephanie happy, and she's happy with you Chris, and I just want to see her get everything she wants. Don't let her slip through your fingers like I did, because she's too perfect a woman to let go of; she and I weren't right for each other, but I can recognize that she's perfect for you."

"Do you think she's going to break up with me?" Chris asked, alarmed. "It sounds like you think she's going to break up with me, is she going to break up with me?"

Hunter knew it wouldn't be fair of him to do what he was about to do. He shouldn't lie so blatantly to Chris's face, but he didn't know what else to do. He and Lita had not been able to think of anything in regards to getting Chris to propose first. He was at wit's end with this one and he was just desperate enough to do what he was about to do.

"I don't know, but it's a possibility. She tends to get antsy, and I wouldn't want to see you guys fail."

"So you heard she's going to break it off with me?"

"No, nothing like that, but I'm just saying…if she thinks that you guys are going nowhere, I wouldn't be surprised if she left the relationship. I mean, you two have a child together and you haven't proposed yet, she might think there's something wrong with her and find another man who doesn't think there's anything wrong with her."

"But…she would do that?"

"Stephanie is a strong-minded woman, she'll think what she wants and won't let anyone tell her that she's not thinking straight. I'm just saying you should prove to her that you want to be with her forever…and soon, before she leaves you…and takes Tristan."

Chris tightened his grip on Tristan, and Hunter immediately felt like he was going straight to hell. He had just said so many lies in so short a time. This whole conscience thing was so overrated. He'd give anything to be that asshole he used to be, who didn't care about anything or anyone but himself. If he were that same guy, then he wouldn't have to deal with that gnawing feeling in his gut. He had stooped so low as to say that Stephanie would take Chris's daughter away from him.

"Well, I don't want that," Chris said, more to himself than anything else. He felt Tristan lay her head against him, bored now that her father wasn't paying attention to her. She clutched her stuffed animal to her chest as she listened to Chris's breathing.

"Da?"

"Yeah beautiful?"

"Play," she said to him, holding out her stuffed animal.

Chris looked at her intensely. His eyes just stayed on her, in a daze almost. He couldn't lose Tristan; she was the single most important thing in his life. And he didn't want to lose Stephanie either. He had to propose to her, had to show her that he loved her and that he did want to be with her, and only her. She had to understand that he would die if she and Tristan left him. He couldn't imagine his life without them, and he didn't want to imagine it. He didn't want his daughter growing up without a father.

"Ok Tristan…"

"You ok man?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah…I've just got to ask Stephanie to marry me…soon."

Hunter sighed in relief…the plan was finally working.


	76. Chapter 76

Chris woke up, Stephanie sleeping soundly beside him. Her arm was slung over his chest haphazardly and he laughed quietly as he pushed it back to her side. It was in the morning, when he was just between sleep and wake that he found his life most content. It was as if the world was still a dream and everything was perfect, if even for just those few moments he had to himself.

He could say it was hard to believe that he and Stephanie were together like this, but it wasn't all that hard to believe. Sure, the circumstances had been strange, and the sequence of events going in every which way, but underneath everything, deep down, it was inevitable that he and Stephanie would get together. Having Tristan just cemented that fact.

That was why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Stephanie. He couldn't believe he had gone without her for so long. Laying here now, with Stephanie next to him every night and every morning, it was like the culmination of all his previous years. Everything in his life had led up to this moment, this second with Stephanie, with their daughter, who got bigger by the day, a family in every sense of the word. Well, almost every sense of the word.

He couldn't lose her; he refused to lose her. Hunter's words had stuck in his brain, and every time he looked at Stephanie, he thought about those words. Would Stephanie really leave him? He didn't know, but Hunter had been married to her for two years, so wouldn't he know a little bit more than Chris in that department? He was scared, thinking that Stephanie would leave and take Tristan with her. He couldn't live without them.

"Da!"

Chris smiled to himself. Chris was still waiting for her to say his full name, but he was patient. He couldn't force her to say his name, but he knew that when she eventually did it was going to be the most satisfying sound in the world. He got out of the bed slowly, careful not to wake Stephanie. He went into Tristan's bedroom and saw her sitting up in her crib, looking around for him

"Da!" she cried, pulling herself up in her crib to see him better.

"Hey, there's my baby girl," Chris said walking over the crib and leaning his arms against it, "Good morning to you."

She smiled at him and put her hand on his arm.

"How's my beautiful girl?"

He picked her up and kissed her cheeks repeatedly, causing her to squeal and giggle. He hugged her to him and she cuddled into his strong chest. He kissed the top of her head as she sighed in happiness. She was such a Daddy's girl that everyone likened her to Stephanie. Not only that, but she had Stephanie's strong features, though she did look like both her parents.

Everyone knew that she adored Chris and that he, in turn, adored her. Of course, he spoiled her on occasion, but so did all her other family, she was truly a spoiled little girl. They couldn't help themselves though; Tristan was one of the most well behaved babies ever. Chris and Stephanie had been able to take her anywhere they wanted without her fussing all that much. She was the kind of kid that every couple wanted.

"Hey Trist, you want to do something for Mama?" Chris asked as he sat down in her rocking chair.

"Mama," Tristan breathed.

"Yeah," Chris said, rubbing noses with her, "I wanted to do something nice for Mama, but I'm going to need your help."

She looked up at him with her big, blue eyes.

"But first, Daddy needs to ask you a very serious question," Chris said, "I want to ask your mommy to marry me? How do you feel about that?"

Tristan laughed and reached her hands out to grab Chris's hair and give it a little pull. He laughed and brought her face up to his and made a funny face. She giggled and put both her hands on either side of his face, giving him a serious look. He gave her a serious look too, trying not to laugh.

"I see you have some serious thinking to do about it," Chris said, "I don't blame you, but I'm a good man Tristan Jericho, I think you can trust me with your mother. I like to think we have a good rapport with each other and if you'll let me marry your mommy, I'll make it very worth your while. How does a whole slew of stuffed animals sound? Or maybe new toys?"

At the word "toys," Tristan's eyes lit up and she gave him a smile, "Toy."

"Oh, so bribery is the way to go with you," Chris said, rubbing her back as she leaned against him "You really are a McMahon Trist, you've got the whole bribery thing down pat. You'll fit right in."

She babbled to him.

"Yes, I know it's hard being part of such a powerful family."

"Mama."

"So I can marry her? Well thank you for your permission Tristan, I just wanted to ask because I know this is going to change your life, I mean, you're hardly used to me."

"Da," she said, looking up at him curiously.

"Yeah, I'm your daddy," Chris said, "And now that I have your approval, I'm going to need your help with the actual proposal, are you going to help Daddy?"

She looked at him blankly, as if trying to decide, even though Chris knew she probably had no clue as to what he was talking about. He kissed her cheek and got off the rocking chair. He walked out of the room with Tristan in his arms and went into the guest bedroom. He pulled open one of the bottom dresser drawers and felt around the back until he found what he was looking for.

He found the box and pulled it out before going to the bedroom door and closing it so Stephanie wouldn't unexpectedly come into the room. He went to the bed and set Tristan down in the middle while he sat down next to her. He put the box on the bed and stared at it a moment.

"That's Mommy's ring," Chris said to Tristan.

All Tristan saw was a pretty box and went to grab it in her little hands. She had some trouble getting it open, but finally managed to. She babbled happily as she saw the contents. Chris pulled it out for her and she looked at it, seeing something shiny and pretty to play with as she played with it.

"Mama," she said, looking at the ring and then up at Chris curiously.

"That's right Trist," Chris smiled, "That's for Mama."

"Mama."

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's good. I trust your opinion beautiful."

Tristan tried to hand him the ring and he took it in his hand, studying it. When he saw it, he knew that it was Stephanie through and through. It was the perfect cut, the perfect band and the perfect inscription. He looked to the inside and smiled at it. He put the ring back in the box and closed it, putting the box into his pajama pants pocket.

"Ok, let's get you changed into a clean diaper," Chris said, "And put a new jumper on you and then we can give Mommy the ring."

Tristan lifted her hands to Chris as he stood up. He swept her up in his arms, swinging her around a couple of times, causing the little girl to giggle with glee. They went back into Tristan's nursery and he changed her diaper quickly before putting her in a new jumper. He sat her up and combed out her hair a little.

"We want you to look pretty for Mommy," he said as she scrunched up her nose and tried to pull the clips out of her hair, "You don't like those?"

"No!"

She frowned and he complied by taking them out of her hair. She took one from his hand and threw it at the ground. Chris laughed, well now he knew that she wasn't that appreciative of hair clips. He brushed her wavy light-brown hair out of her face and then set her on the ground.

He kneeled next to her, "Ok, now your part of the plan is very, very important Trist."

She widened her eyes at him.

"Ok, now we're going to go to Mommy and Daddy's room and I want you to walk up to Mommy and wake her up ok?"

Tristan just kept looking at him, giving no indication that she actually understood what he was saying.

"And you're going to give her the ring, because we should both want Mommy to marry me right?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Da."

"Yup, that's right," Chris nodded, "Let's go."

He stood up and took Tristan's hand. It was so little in his own hand, but she had a strong grip for a 13 month old. He was so sure that she was going to be a wrestler one day, despite Stephanie saying that they shouldn't push her into anything, and let her decide whatever it was that she wanted to do. Chris had agreed, but deep down, he knew that she would go into the family business.

They walked slowly to his and Stephanie's bedroom, Tristan was still a little unsteady on her feet and he didn't want her tripping and falling all over the place. They got to the door and Chris kneeled down to come face-to-face with Tristan again. He took the ring out and put it in her hand, then closed her fingers around it.

"Ok sweetie, go wake up Mommy ok?"

Tristan smiled and he kissed her cheek, turning her towards the bed. Tristan started walking towards the bed a little and then looked back towards Chris. He motioned for her to keep walking and she stood confused for a moment, not sure of what she was supposed to do. Chris laughed a little at her.

"Trist, go wake up Mommy," Chris whispered.

Tristan turned back around and kept toddling towards the bed. She went over to Stephanie's side of the bed and stood there. Chris watched her silently, wondering if he'd have to go over there and actually help her with this. Tristan looked at him and made a face.

"Mama," Tristan whispered, laying her chin on the bed, "Up."

Stephanie mumbled, but made no attempt to wake up.

"Mama," Tristan said louder this time.

"What?"

"Mama!" Tristan yelled, causing Stephanie to open her eyes.

Stephanie looked at her daughter and blinked for a few seconds, "Tristan, how did you get out of your bed?"

"Bajhofdsajo sdjhoifhsaoid fjow," she answered with a definitive nod and a smile as if she had just completed a big speech.

Stephanie laughed, "Oh really, so you climbed out of your crib and walked in here to tell me that?"

Tristan just looked at her and Stephanie reached out to run her hand through Tristan's soft, curly hair, "Good morning sweetie, but do you mind telling me how you got in here? Did Daddy bring you in here to wake me up?"

"Da," Tristan smiled then held out her closed fist to Stephanie.

"What do you have here pretty girl?" Stephanie asked, looking at Tristan's hand, "Is it a present for me?"

"Da."

"Oh, is it a present from Daddy?" Stephanie asked, "Or is it from both of you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, so you both got me a present, wow, I don't know how I got so lucky. It's not even my birthday."

Stephanie took Tristan's hand and opened it slowly. Her eyes widened as she saw the treasure that her daughter was hiding from her. She picked up the ring and stared at it, looking at Tristan for a moment, who just smiled in response. Stephanie looked at the ring again, and couldn't believe her eyes. She had not been expecting this, in fact, this was the last thing on Earth she had expected. This was an engagement ring.

"You see," Chris started from the door, "I asked Tristan if it would be ok if I asked her mother to marry me. Tristan gave me her blessing."

Stephanie sat up, "She did?"

"Yeah, I had to bribe her with toys, but she eventually gave me it, but now I'll probably have to spend as much on toys as I did on that ring."

"Well, she's worth it don't you think?"

"Just like you're worth it," he smiled, picking up Tristan and setting her on the bed. Tristan crawled into her mother's lap and Stephanie held her close to her, letting Tristan get comfortable against her, "And I guess it's time for me to give my little speech right?"

"I think now would be an opportune moment to do that," she nodded, still in shock.

"Ok, that's fine, because I've been preparing meticulously so this moment would be absolutely perfect."

"You have?"

He looked her in the eyes, ignoring her question, "You two are the best things in my life, you two are the best things to ever come into my life. I'm lucky to have you both. I know we've been through some rough times."

"Which were all my fault," she added.

"No, they weren't your fault," he shook his head, "But that's in the past, so forget about it. My point is, we've been through a lot, more than most people and look what we've gotten out of it. Us…together, and a beautiful little girl. I know that we're already a family, but I want to make it official, I want to marry you because I love you, and so marry me Stephanie, marry me and be my wife, and I'd say let's start a family, but we've already gotten the jumpstart on that, haven't we Trist?"

She laughed, "Da, Mama."

"That speech was prepared all by herself," Chris said, "She wanted to say that she wants you to marry me to. So will you?"

"Well, I mean, I can say no to you," she said, "But there's no way I could say no to Tristan, that face is just too cute, so I guess by default I have to marry you, but let me ask Tristan her opinion. Trist, should I marry Daddy?"

"No!" Tristan screamed and then dissolved into a fit of the giggles.

Chris's eyes widened, "Tristan! How could you betray me like this, I thought we had an understanding."

She hid her face against Stephanie's shirt. Stephanie laughed and looked at Chris, "Well, I guess this means a no."

Stephanie laughed as she said it and Chris shook his head and laughed too, leaning over to kiss her. Tristan pushed their faces apart as they laughed. He grabbed the ring and turned it over so Stephanie could see the inscription. Stephanie turned it towards the light from the window and saw three letters etched in the platinum band. There was a C, then a heart, then a T, another heart, and finally an S. She looked up at Chris.

"Our initials," he explained, "All of ours, because without her, there would be no us."

"It's wonderful."

He took the ring and put it on her finger, where Tristan immediately grabbed her hand to look at it.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Yeah, I love you too," he told her, "But I've loved you for the longest time."

"I know," she said, "I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner."

"It's ok, you saw it before it was too late," he told her, "And besides, it wasn't like you were going to get rid of me any time soon, considering that we have Tristan."

"You aren't just doing this to give Tristan a mom and dad who are married right?"

"No, that's just one of the added bonuses," he told her, "I would've asked you regardless if we had Tristan or not."

"Well, that's reassuring except for the fact that I would probably still be with Hunter."

"Nah, I would've stolen you away and then married you," he grinned, "I would've gone to great lengths and all that."

"How romantic," she quipped.

"Well, I have been known to try."

"I didn't know you were going to propose," Stephanie confessed.

"Well, that's generally a good thing," Chris said. "Would've ruined the surprise."

"How long have you been planning this?" she asked. She had to know this. She had to know if he had been planning to propose for a while and she had just been foolish and not seen the signs.

"A while," Chris told her. "I know we haven't been dating that long, but Stephanie, I know that we're right for each other. I've known we were right for each other since the night we first slept together. I knew it the next morning, and I know it now. You're the only woman I want in my life from here until the day that I close my eyes for the last time."

"I was going to propose to YOU," Stephanie confessed as Chris's face turned into one of confusion.

"You were what?"

"I didn't think you were going to propose to me, and I was worried that you never would, and so I decided that I was going to propose to you. I was going to do it this weekend, Saturday. I was going to ask YOU to marry ME."

"Wait, you were…"

"Yeah."

Chris thought for a moment. "Who knew you were going to do this?"

"Lita and Hunter."

"Hunter!" Chris muttered. "When did you tell him?"

"Before Tristan's birthday, why?"

"That's why," Chris mumbled to himself then looked up at Stephanie, who was now confused as well, wondering why Chris seemed angry all of a sudden. "Hunter told me that you were going to leave me and that I should propose as soon as possible."

"Wait, so you proposed because Hunter told you to propose to me!" Stephanie asked, aghast that her ex-husband would be the catalyst for this proposal. She wanted it to be Chris's idea.

"No, I've been wanting to propose to you since before Tristan's birthday, way before Tristan's birthday, but I didn't know how…he told me to propose to you so YOU would get a proposal and you wouldn't have to propose to me…sneaky bastard," Chris said as he shook his head. "So you were going to propose? Did you buy ME a ring?"

"No, but I had prepared a speech," she confessed.

"Can I hear it?"

"Nah, I mean, it's nothing, it was nothing."

"If you were going to propose to me, I think it's important gorgeous."

"You were there for me when nobody else was. You took me into your room when my husband was cheating on me, and you didn't question my sanity when I wanted you to sleep with me. You didn't tell Hunter that Tristan was yours, you left me alone when I asked, you signed away your daughter when I asked, you took me in when I needed somewhere to stay. You have loved me, you have comforted me, and you have been the best father I could've ever imagined to our daughter. You have done so much for me, so much that words can't even describe how they have made me feel. But now it's my turn Chris, now it's my turn to do something for you, and I want to marry you, and show you that everything you did wasn't for nothing. And I love you so much, and I want to prove it to everyone that I do deserve you," she looked down, blushing. "That's about it."

Chris tipped her chin up, giving her a lopsided grin. She ducked her head again, but before she could, he dove in for her lips, pressing his against hers, melding their mouths together, ignoring Tristan's annoyed whimpering from wanting the attention to be on her. The kiss was passionate and all-encompassing, surrounding them. Chris pulled away slightly, but not far enough that he wasn't touching her with his forehead. He nuzzled his nose against hers and smiled slightly.

"I would've said yes."


	77. Chapter 77

"You can call off the dogs Hunter."

"What are you talking about Steph?" Hunter asked as Stephanie walked in unannounced to his locker room.

"Your plan…with Lita…for my honor apparently," Stephanie explained. "How you were prodding Chris to propose to me, even going so far as to tell him that I would leave him if he didn't propose."

Hunter looked at her sheepishly and shrugged. "I just wanted to see you happy Steph. If I had to lie to do it, then I had to."

"But you didn't have to tell him I would leave," she pointed out.

"But tell me this…are you engaged?"

Stephanie held out her hand. "Yes, I am now engaged. My daughter will finally have married parents."

"Good…I'm happy for you. You deserve someone like Chris. He's going to be good for you."

"Since when did you become my guardian angel?" Stephanie asked him. "You seem to have a keen interest in my life."

"Because I screwed up our marriage," Hunter answered honestly.

"So did I."

"But I screwed it up first. Look, we both know that you're better off with Chris. And if you're better off, then I want you to be better off."

"That makes no sense to me," she laughed. She went over and gave Hunter a hug anyways. He hugged her back and she laid her head on his shoulder. "You're a good friend Hunter."

"What's this?" a new voice said and Stephanie recognized it as Chris's. "I turn my back for one second and you're back in the arms of your ex-husband?"

"Yeah, sorry," Stephanie apologized, keeping a straight face. "I've decided that Hunter is the only one for me. Sorry Chris."

Chris sighed dramatically, "I knew this would happen."

Hunter broke away from Stephanie and walked over to Chris. He stuck his hand out and Chris shifted Tristan to one arm before shaking Chris's hand. "Congratulations man. You got yourself a good one, I should know."

"I know," Chris said, smiling over at Stephanie, who blushed under such adulation from the two men in front of her.

"And you," Hunter said, turning to Tristan. "I guess congratulations are in order for you too."

"Yeah," Tristan said with a smile. Hunter held his hand out and grabbed Tristan's hand, giving it a shake. "Congratulations on your parents getting married."

"Ok," Tristan said, looking at Chris. "Da?"

"Don't worry about it beautiful," Chris said, kissing Tristan's forehead. "Uncle Hunter is just happy for Mommy and me."

"Ok," Tristan said.

"So when's the wedding?" Hunter asked Stephanie.

"Don't know yet, we've only gotten so far as the we're getting married part of it. We would start thinking about kids too, but we've already jumped the gun on that one a little bit," Stephanie said.

"Just a little," Chris added. "I'll see you guys later though, I've got to go talk to the Hardys, I have a match with them as my partners tonight. You guys going to be ok in here without any adult supervision?"

"I think that we'll be fine," Stephanie said. "Although I can only speak for myself. I don't know if Hunter can keep his hands off of me."

"I'll just force myself to restrain from touching or groping your fiancée."

"Thank you, that's all I ask," Chris said, leaving with Tristan in tow.

Chris put Tristan down and took her smaller hand in his larger one. They walked slowly down the hallway, Chris pausing whenever Tristan found something that caught her eye. She was playing with a lock on a trunk when he saw Matt and Jeff walking his way. He whistled at them to get their attention and they looked up and smiled, walking over.

"Hey man, what's up?" Jeff said.

"Not much, actually I was coming to look for you guys, we've got a match together later on, do you want to discuss specifics?"

"Yeah, sure," Matt said.

"Where are you significant others by the way?" Chris asked.

"Lita's in our locker room. She's still feeling sick. I wish I knew what I could do to help her, but the doctor says we're doing everything we can be doing and for some women the nausea is worse."

"Trish is sitting with her. Where's your significant other?"

"Talking to Hunter about our engagement," Chris said proudly. "And before you go all into asking questions, yes, I proposed to Stephanie over the weekend and she accepted my proposal. I even got Tristan to help with the proposal."

"Speaking of that adorable little girl," Jeff said. "Where is Tristan?"

"What do you mean where is--" Chris turned around to point her out only to find her missing from the spot she had just been standing in. He scanned the area quickly, but didn't spot his little girl anywhere, just people walking up and down the hallway working or talking or hanging around. "Oh my God, she was just here!"

Chris was about to go frantic when Stephanie turned the corner, Tristan in her arms, as she walked over to Chris with Hunter still with her. "Looking for something?"

"Tristan, where did you go!" Chris said, rushing over to her, his heart still pounding. The terror that ran through him a moment ago was stunting his breathing and he almost lost it right then and there.

"Mama," Tristan said, snuggling into Stephanie.

"She must've heard my voice because all I saw was her toddling over to me," Stephanie said.

"Tristan, don't ever wander away from me or Mommy again!" Chris croaked. "You scared me half to death."

"Da," she giggled.

"No, it's not funny," Chris said sternly, but his gaze melted when Tristan smiled at him. He just couldn't resist her. Matt and Jeff walked over to where they were standing.

"Hey Tristan," Jeff said. "You gave your dad quite the scare."

"Yeah."

"Where's Lita?" Stephanie asked of Matt.

"She's not feeling well," Matt informed her. "She's lying down in our locker room with Trish. You can go see how she is if you want."

"I think I'll go a little later, when Trist isn't feeling so rambunctious. I wouldn't want her to be a nuisance if Lita is resting or anything. She can get pretty loud when she wants to…Tristan, not Lita," Stephanie added with a laugh.

"Um…if you'll excuse me, I've got to go meet with someone," Hunter said to the group.

"Sure," Stephanie said. "I'll see you later Hunter, thanks for everything, no matter how diluted it was."

Hunter walked away from them before Matt turned to Stephanie. "What was diluted?"

"Oh, Hunter kind of set the proposal into motion, mine and Chris's, which I'm assuming he told you."

"Yeah, he did, congratulations," Matt said.

"You're not getting one from me. This is just going to set Trish into thinking that SHE should be getting married too," Jeff said good-naturedly.

"Well, it's not my fault you haven't proposed to the poor girl," Chris said, punching him lightly in the arm. "Take a note from your brother's book and propose to her already, then you wouldn't have to worry about any other guys swooping in and stealing her."

"Yeah, I don't think that's something I have to worry about.

Hunter knocked quietly on the door in front of him. He heard her voice from within, "Come in!"

Hunter walked in hesitantly, feeling a little uncomfortable now that he was here. He saw Lita on the couch, her hands resting lightly on her stomach. She seemed to be alone, despite having heard that Trish was with her. She looked up and her eyes widened before she smiled brightly at him. She gestured towards the empty space next to her feet and he went to sit down next to her.

"What's up?" Lita asked.

"Well, we're matchmaking geniuses is all."

"He proposed?" she asked excitedly, daring herself to get her hopes up.

Hunter nodded. "Over the weekend. He finally did and so our plan is over."

"Yes!" she exclaimed, holding her arm over her head. Hunter didn't know what she was doing for a moment until she said, "Come on, don't leave me hanging Hunter."

Hunter slapped her hand as he laughed and put his hand back in his lap. "Actually, that's not what I came here to tell you, well it is, because that was the main reason, but I also heard that you weren't feeling well. I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"That's so nice of you," Lita said to him, reaching out to take his hand. "Thank you for being concerned."

He shrugged. "I don't know, ever since Stephanie and I got divorced, I feel like I'm not the same guy anymore."

"You aren't, you're much better," Lita said. "You've matured I think, maybe, if that's what you can call it. Maybe we can just say you dropped the attitude."

"I guess. So how are you really? And I heard Trish was supposed to be with you."

"She's getting me water or food or something to settle my stomach. So far nothing is working," she said sadly. "I don't know, I think my baby hates me, I've never felt so sick in my entire life, it's depressing."

"It can't be that bad."

"Oh, it is, trust me. Sometimes I feel like this baby hates me, or God hates me, or any combination of the two. I got to sleep feeling sick, I wake up feeling sick. I've not gained any weight because everything I eat goes right back up. I'm miserable."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hunter said sympathetically. "But it'll get better once you go farther on in the pregnancy, I saw it happen to Stephanie, and I'm sure that it'll happen for you."

"I'm not sure I can stand it," Lita replied truthfully. "I just…it's hard. I feel so sick, and it's like, this baby is trying to deliberately hurt me or something, but it's just a baby, it doesn't know."

"I wish I knew what to say, but it DOES get better, I saw it with Stephanie, it does."

"Stephanie was never…oh God, not again," Lita exclaimed as she made a mad dash for the bathroom. She managed to get to the toilet just in time to heave in front of it, throwing up shamefully in front of Hunter.

Hunter cringed as he heard the retching coming from the bathroom. That was not a sound he liked to hear at all. He sat there stupidly for a few moments, not knowing what to do for the sick redhead. So he sat there looking stupid. He kept hearing her throw up and he hated it so he went into the bathroom and saw her leaning over the toilet. He sat down next to her and watched her for just a moment.

Then he surprised her by pulling her hair out of her face and holding it against her back. She sent him a grateful look before she started throwing up again. It seemed like hours before she was finished, but it was hardly that long at all. She sat back and grabbed some toilet paper to wipe her mouth. She could feel Hunter smoothing her hair against her back, and she found it so comforting. She smiled softly as she went to stand up. Hunter got back on his feet first and held his hand out to her. She took it and let him help her up.

"Um…I have some mouthwash in my bag on the table, can you get it for me?" Lita asked pathetically, her voice hoarse from all the purging. Hunter nodded and went into the other room, rooting through her bag a little to find the mouthwash. He got it and gave it to her so she could rinse her mouth out. When she was done, she leaned against the counter.

"Sorry you had to see that."

"It's ok," he told her. "We all have moments we'd rather not have others see."

Her eyes started watering. "I'm just so miserable and I don't know how to deal with all of this."

She sounded so sad and she looked so sad as well. Hunter had never seen Lita look so vulnerable before. Not that he had a lot of experience with it, but he could recognize the vulnerability in her face right now. She was hurting and she didn't know how to cope with it. He just gave her a sad smile.

"Matt is SO happy about the baby, and I'm happy too, but it kind of blinds him to the fact that I'm not doing well," she confessed. "He thinks so much about the baby, and he kind of forgets the fact that I'm sick, that I can barely go a few hours without throwing up everything I've eaten that day."

Hunter reached out tentatively and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. It was kind of messy because she had been leaning over the toilet seat. "He's blind then."

"He's not so much blind…he just really cares about this baby."

"I know, I was so excited about Tristan, I didn't notice that Stephanie seemed conflicted during her pregnancy."

"You love Tristan though."

"Yeah, I do," Hunter told her. "She's a big part of my heart. Chris and Steph know that, and they've never held her back from me. I know she's not my daughter, but I can still love her and be Uncle Hunter, and that has to be enough for now, until I have my own kids."

"That's so nice."

"How are you?" Hunter asked emphatically. "Really, how are YOU, not the baby inside of you?"

"I think you're the first person who's actually asked how I was not in relation to the baby," Lita said and impulsively hugged him. "I think I'm doing a lot better now."

Hunter hugged her back. "I'm glad I could help."

She pulled away, but didn't lose contact with him. "This is so weird, we weren't even friends and now you're just this…you're like this great comfort to me. How did you manage to pull that one off?"

"Not entirely sure," he joked.

"You've changed so much," she said softly. "So much."

Hunter stared down at her and she looked really pretty he found. Too pretty, and he reached his hand up to caress her cheek with his knuckles, running them over her jaw. She leaned in to his touch a little bit, closing her eyes as she felt his rough hands softly running down the curve of her face.

"If you ever need anyone, you know where to find me," he whispered to her, kissing her chastely on the forehead. Nothing more than that. She was married and he wasn't making the same mistake twice. He pulled away and ran his thumb over her cheek. "Any time, ok Lita?"

She opened her eyes and gave him a thankful look that was also full of relief.

"I'm going to take you up on that offer, you can count on that."


	78. Chapter 78

"Did you ever think you'd see something like that?"

"Something like what?" Chris asked as he looked over at the woman that he was going to marry. He never got tired of saying that either. In fact, he liked it so much, that was pretty much how he was going to think of her from now on. The woman he was going to marry.

"Like that," she said, surreptitiously pointing in front of her.

Chris followed her finger and saw Hunter and Lita sitting on top of a trunk, talking like they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. They were both talking animatedly, Lita waving her arms around and Hunter trying in vain to catch her so that she would calm down. She laughed loudly at something he said and he smiled proudly at that. Chris and Stephanie just observed this for a few moments.

"That's very...weird," Chris said. "I mean, I've seen them talking before, but it's just weird to see the two of them getting along so well."

"Well, you know, strange bedfellows and all that," Stephanie added. "I guess opposites attract sometimes. At least in friendship."

"Yeah..." Chris said, but his voice trailed off as he watched the two of them. "You don't think..."

"What?" Stephanie asked and then looked at Chris, and seeing his face, she shook her head vehemently. "Oh no, no, no, no, no."

"You don't even know what I'm thinking!" he protested.

"Yes, I do," Stephanie said. "You're thinking that there could be something more than meets the eye. And I say no."

"But if you look at them, they--"

"Chris, Hunter has made that mistake once already, I don't think he's going to make it again. That would just be stupid. Lita is a married woman, a PREGNANT, married woman, there's no way!"

"You were a pregnant, married woman and that didn't stop me from falling in love with you," Chris told her lowly.

She sighed and looked at him, biting her lip a little bit. "But that situation was different, I was pregnant with YOUR child, not Hunter's. Lita is pregnant with Matt's child, not Hunter's, and it would be silly to think that Hunter would put the moves on her, or vice versa."

"I'm not saying that they are, but they do seem awfully cozy."

"Because they were both helping in trying to get us engaged, it was almost natural that the two of them become friends. I think that this is just a product of that. Nothing more. If they're friends, great for them, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Fine, fine," Chris said. "Come on, let's go say hello and not seem rude."

"I thought you'd never ask," she said, slipping her hand into his. Together, they walked over to the twosome still talking animatedly. Stephanie grinned and waved as Hunter spotted her. "Hey Hunter, hey Lita, how are you guys?"

"Fine, thanks," Hunter said. "Lita on the other hand..."

"What's that supposed to mean Helmsley?" Lita joked around, slugging him in the arm for good measure.

"What do you think it means?"

"I think it means you're trying to diss me."

"Nah, I was just commenting on what you were saying earlier."

"I'm doing ok today guys," Lita said, turning to Chris and Stephanie, but sending a side-long glare to Hunter. "Much better than I've been recently. I only threw up once today, I think that's got to be a record for me or something, usually I'm in the bathroom fifteen times a day."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Stephanie said. "It is hard at first, but you get over it as you get farther along. It happened to me, and it'll happen to you."

"Good, because I cannot stand having to see what I eat twice in one day, and when I see it the second time, it looks way worse than the first time."

"Just make sure you take care of yourself," Chris added. "My little girl needs to have someone to play with around here, and you're our best bet."

"Speaking of, where is that little girl?"

"She's with her grandpa," Stephanie informed them. "I think he said he was going to show her how to make matches that would draw in the most people. She looked so fascinated by it all, I'm sure she's loving the lecture that she's getting on the finer points of why a strong heel really makes the match."

"He's getting her started a little early isn't he?" Hunter asked with a laugh.

"Well, she pretty much just says ok to everything so I think my father is just happy to have someone who'll listen to him and not try to argue about anything," Stephanie joked. "At least she's willing to hear everything he has to say."

"True, not many people like to listen to your father," Hunter said.

"Maybe we should go save her," Stephanie laughed, looking up at Chris.

"Or we can just go spend time by ourselves, which is a commodity nowadays."

"Hmm...that sounds even better," Stephanie said, turning to Hunter and Lita, "If you two will excuse us, we are going to bask in the glow of being by ourselves for a while and not discussing the finer points of how to get juice stains out of the carpet."

Chris wrapped his arm around Stephanie as they walked away and Hunter and Lita could see her lean her head against his body. They looked at their handiwork proudly, not that they had anything to do with them getting together (well Hunter did, but inadvertantly), but they did have a hand in the rock that was on Stephanie's finger at the moment. Hunter turned back to Lita and smile.

"I have to say, we do good work."

"We're a great team," she said cockily. "That's what we should do, we should just solve everyone's love problems around here. Just go around and solve everyone's problems. We'd be like superheroes, without the stupid costumes or names. But then we'd kind of do it all in secret so nobody would know."

"Yeah, THAT'LL blow over well," Hunter scoffed. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous people Li."

"You called me Li."

"I'm sorry, was I not supposed to, I just had heard--"

"No," Lita said, placing her hand on his arm and giving it a squeeze. "You're welcome to call me that. We're friends now, and friends shouldn't have to ask to call someone by a pretty well-known nickname."

"You're really different from what I thought."

Lita laughed heartily. "Are you kidding me? If anyone is really different from any expectations it's you. So don't go complimenting me when I should be complimenting you. I daresay that you're a nice guy."

"And you didn't even choke on the words, impressive."

"So back to my plan, my superhero plan, I think the first person we should help is...you," she said, poking him in the chest with her finger. "If I'm correct, and you'll learn that I usually am, you haven't proposed to Stacy yet, is that plan ever going to get into motion or are you just going to sit on your hands for the rest of your life."

"It'll happen, but I think I need to think about it more," Hunter said with a sigh.

Lita noticed that he seemed uncomfortable and his eyes were darting back and forth. She recognized that they were in a very public place and he might not want to discuss something so private where anybody could hear them and then go tattle. Anybody would love to hear dirt on Hunter, and then use it against him in some way. So Lita decided to go somewhere a little more private. She grabbed Hunter's hand and pulled him off the trunk they had been sitting on. He looked at her curiously and she nodded her head in the direction of the locker rooms.

As they were walking, she leading, he following, he noticed the warmth of her hand that was tightly clasped in his. He looked down at her hand. It wasn't manicured meticulously like Stacy's was, Lita's hand was just, well, he couldn't explain it really. He followed her hand up to her arm and took in what she was wearing. She was barely showing, so she was in one of her "crazy" outfits, cargo pants and a tank top underneath a fish-net long sleeve top. Her hair was falling around her face and she looked determined. He shook his head as he realized he was staring at her.

They came upon his locker room and she pushed him inside first, probably to make sure the coast was clear, which it happened to be. She looked both ways before entering and she closed the door behind her. She leaned against it for a moment before pushing herself off of the door and sitting down on the leather couch situated in the middle of the room. She crossed her arms over her stomach and looked up at him expectantly.

"Ok, so spill."

"Look, you don't need to hear this," he said, dodging her inquisition.

"Uh uh," she shook her head. "It's the least I can do after you helping me last week. I want to be able to help you too. So why haven't you proposed to Stacy. My understanding of it is that you were with her for a few months while you were married to Stephanie, then you cooled off once Stephanie found out, but then when Stephanie confessed that Chris was actually Tristan's father, you waited a little bit and then went back with Stacy and that brings us to the situation right now."

"That's the Cliff Notes version, yes," he answered.

"So what's the actual version, the novel version."

"I think that Stacy is ashamed of us for one."

"Ashamed?" she questioned.

"How many times have you actually seen us together Li?"

Lita thought for a moment, and she hesitantly answered, "One or two times."

"Ok, and in contrast, how often do you see...say Chris and Stephanie together, or Jeff and Trish?"

"All the time..."

"Exactly. She hates the way we got together, and I do too, I hate that we cheated on Stephanie, because she didn't deserve to be cheated on. But I've moved on from that, Stephanie's moved on from that and we're great friends, but Stacy hasn't moved on from it and I don't think she ever will, so it only escalates into a situation where I keep trying to pull her to my side and she keeps resisting."

"I'm sorry," Lita said, not knowing what else there was that she could possibly say. "I didn't know."

"It's fine," he said, shrugging off her sympathy. "That's why I've been hesitant in asking her, because I don't honestly know if she'd want to be with me for the rest of our lives."

"Maybe you just suck in bed," Lita said, winking at him, trying to ease the tension.

"I highly doubt that," he said, his voice superior.

"Oh yeah, have you asked any of the women you've slept with?"

"Do you want to try me out and see for yourself. Why go take a survey when you can just try out the real thing?" Hunter said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Ooh, tempting...but I'm going to have decline," Lita shrugged. "I don't sleep with men who aren't good in bed."

"Then how do you explain Matt?"

Lita's jaw dropped. She guffawed loudly as she started laughing at that statement, then her lips turned up into a smirk. "And just how would you know if my man was good in bed, huh Helmsley? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"If you're insinuating what I think you're insinuating, that would mean your husband was at fault too."

"Damn," she muttered. "You've got me there."

"Don't mess with the best."

"Oh, I'll give you best," Lita responded as she stuck out her tongue and punched him on the chest, which didn't really hurt him all that much.

She was going to do it again but Hunter caught her hand and he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him. She looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before he started to tickled her around her middle. She tried to break free from him, but he was way too strong for her so she was at his mercy. She kept laughing, gasping for breath after a few moments because he was hitting all the spots that she was most ticklish in.

"Give up Li!"

"No!" she protested, still trying to squirm free. They kept tussling with each other until the door opened before them. Stacy walked inside and saw the two of them together. Lita finally broke from Hunter's grasp and took a step away from him.

"Stace, it's not what you think, and I know that sounds really stupid, but it's the truth," Hunter said.

"Um…I have to go," Stacy said, rushing out of there, taking large steps which wasn't too difficult since she was so tall.

"Damn," Hunter said, starting to go after her. He was caught by an arm and turned towards Lita. She shook her head. He said harshly, "What?"

"Don't go after her when she's so angry, it'll only cause an argument. You and I both know that nothing happened. When you do talk to her, you can tell her the truth and it will be the truth. If she loves you, she'll accept that."

"Yeah, nothing happened," Hunter nodded.

"That's right, nothing happened."

"What's going on guys?" Stephanie asked as she came upon their open door. "You both look upset. Did something happen?"

"No, nothing," Hunter said, glancing at Lita, which caused Stephanie to give them a dubious look. Hunter looked down and saw Tristan clinging to Stephanie's hand. He was glad she was there for the diversion. "Hey there cutie!"

"Hi!" Tristan said enthusiastically, waving her hand at Hunter. "You!"

"You!" Hunter said back and went over to sweep her off her feet. "I wanted to see you earlier, but your Mommy said that you were with your grandpa. Did he teach you to run the business yet?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile.

"Can I have a kiss from the most beautiful girl in the world?"

"Hunter, you know you can't kiss me anymore," Stephanie said teasingly, looking up at him coyly. Hunter rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Yeah, sorry Steph, but you've been uprooted, so how bout that kiss, huh Tristan?"

Tristan leaned forward and gave a wet, sloppy kiss to Hunter's cheek and he smiled at her, giving her a kiss on her cheek, which she wiped off with a giggle. Hunter looked so happy with Tristan in his arms, Lita observed. He was great with her, and that was just another surprise that he had hidden inside. Who knew he'd be so good with kids, especially one that wasn't even his. Her hand went instinctively to her stomach.

"Looks like someone loves their Uncle Hunter," Stephanie cooed as she held Tristan's hand. "Do you like Uncle Hunter Trist?"

"Yeah," she said, grinning at her mommy. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Where are my girls?" a voice called from outside the door. Tristan's eyes lit up like Christmas trees, sparkling like little lights. She opened her mouth wide in surprise as she heard her daddy's voice and she clapped her hands looking towards Hunter with a face full of glee. Chris turned to see Tristan and he snuck up behind her and put one of his hands over her eyes. "Guess who."

"DA!" she screamed in happiness, twisting her body almost the entire way around to see her daddy. She reached her arms for him desperately and he laughed at Hunter trying to hold this squirming little girl in his arms before reaching out and taking her. She cuddled fiercely into his chest, sighing in content, "Da."

"Hey little girl, what's up?" Chris asked of his daughter. She didn't say anything, just smiled against his chest, wanting to be cradled. "Crazy kid, so what's going on here?"

"Nothing," Hunter said quickly, looking at Lita. Lita just stared down at the ground for a moment. Why did she suddenly feel so guilty for being there? She felt guilty for being in Hunter's locker room, for being around Hunter, and she couldn't figure out why.

She couldn't figure out anything.


	79. Chapter 79

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone. I honestly don't know where I'm going with this Hunter/Lita thing, so if you want to persuade me one way or the other, I'll welcome those suggestions. :)

* * *

"So did you feel like something was up with Hunter and Lita just a little while ago?" 

Chris looked up from his game of peek-a-boo with Tristan. "Yeah, I was sensing some major tension there too. But you said there was nothing going on, changed your mind?"

"No," Stephanie told him, her voice sharp. "I don't know…I mean, I don't think there's anything going on, Lita loves Matt, and Hunter loves Stacy, but I got a vibe. You know, like a 'more than friendship' vibe between the two of them."

"You don't think that they're actually having sex or anything, do you?" Chris asked curiously.

"No!" Stephanie said, then her face dropped a tiny bit. "I don't know. But we shouldn't speculate on something that we don't know. I mean, that's how horrible rumors get started, by people speculating. I don't want to think the worst of them, either of them."

"Neither do I Steph, but you have to admit that the circumstances are pretty suspect. They've been hanging out together a lot, and just now, it was weird, it was like we had interrupted something."

"Yeah, I felt like something was about to happen," Stephanie said thoughtfully. "I mean, Hunter doesn't have the best track record, he did cheat on me."

"And I don't know how he could do that, honestly, it has to take a strong man to stray away from you," he told her, brushing his hand down her cheek. "You're just too beautiful to want to cheat on."

"Well thank you," she told him, leaning over to give him a kiss. "I'm glad that I have you and that I don't have to worry about anything. I mean, I love Hunter as a friend, but he was not a great husband and I'm glad I don't have to worry about him cheating on me anymore."

"Maybe we should find out the truth so that we're not out in the dark about this," Chris suggested. "I mean, I hate thinking the worst about two of my friends. If they are screwing around, I'd lose a lot of respect for the both of them, and there's no way that I couldn't tell Matt. Matt has been one of my best friends since I've been in this company and if his wife is cheating on him, there's no way that I could just keep that to myself and let him go on thinking he's in a happy marriage."

Stephanie sighed. "When did our lives get so simple and everyone else's lives get so complicated? It's just like, as our life together gets really good and easy, everyone else's lives have to fall apart. I just want everything to be good and happy. I don't want backstabbing and adultery and all of that."

"We could just remove ourselves from the situation," he told her. She laughed and shook her head. "What? You think that can't happen?"

"No," Tristan spoke up, looking at Chris. She grabbed his hand and played around with it, but it didn't have a pretty ring like her mommy's hand so she was bored with it rather quickly.

"I didn't ask for your opinion beautiful," Chris told her with a smile. Tristan looked up at him quizzically and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I don't think Lita would do anything to put her baby's happiness in jeopardy. I know I would never do anything that might hurt Trist."

"Is that why you asked me to marry you?" Stephanie joked. "So that Tristan would have married parents instead of parents that happened to have sex because her mother's husband at the time cheated on her and she went running to her friend for comfort, even though he didn't want to sleep with her at the time."

"You don't know that," Chris interjected. "You didn't know if I really wanted you."

"You tried to stop me."

"Because it was wrong, that doesn't mean I didn't want you," Chris told her.

"You wanted me?" Stephanie asked, a little smirk coming to her face.

Chris shook his head and laughed, "No, not really."

"You're such a jerk!" she exclaimed, swatting him on the arm, which just made him laugh even harder. Tristan joined in because it seemed like everyone was having a good time but her. "That's right Trish, I didn't really want Mommy."

"You do know that if you had turned me down, you wouldn't have a daughter right now. You wouldn't have the cutest, most beautiful little girl in the world."

"That'd be tragic…but on the other hand, I would be free to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I could go party every night, hit up some clubs, get a handful of girl's phone numbers…man, those were the days."

"Trist, show Daddy what he would be missing," Stephanie instructed her daughter. Tristan stood up next to Chris on the couch and she placed both her hands on his chest before leaning over and giving him a kiss on his cheek. Chris melted right there as he stared into her blue, blue eyes.

"You taught her to do that didn't you?" Chris accused Stephanie.

"No," Stephanie said, lifting her hands up as if she were caught. "I didn't teach her that, if anything, she taught herself how to do that and she's just showing you that she's worth keeping around. Would you rather have her or any of those number of women that you'd meet at some random club?"

"Well that's a no-brainer, I'd rather have my girls," Chris said, wrapping an arm around Stephanie and Tristan. Stephanie leaned her body against his. "You two are the loves of my life."

"Did you hear that Trist, Daddy loves us the best," Stephanie said as Tristan clapped. "So Trist, did you sense some weird vibes between Uncle Hunter and Auntie Lita?"

"Yeah," Tristan nodded seriously.

"See, she felt it too," Stephanie said. "And she wouldn't lie, she's very trustworthy."

"So what do you think we should do Trist?" Chris asked.

"Toy," Tristan said.

"Oh, what an interesting plan," Chris nodded. "You think that we should toy around a little bit and see what's really going on. That's a very interesting plan beautiful."

"Yeah," Tristan said. "Toy, toy, toy."

"She's very smart, I'll give her that," Stephanie said. "So fiancé of mine, speaking of being in love, and weird vibes, when are we going to start planning our wedding?"

"Whenever," he told her. "The only thing I care about is the fact that I will marry you."

"I think it should be soon. I mean, not too soon, but before Tristan is two, so definitely within the year. I want her to be our flower girl," Stephanie said. "I want her in our wedding."

"Yeah, me too, maybe in five months," Chris said. "Around that time frame."

"Perfect," Stephanie said. "Look at us, already pretty much in sync. We're going to be so great."

"Well, the marriage thing can't be any harder than us being together and having a daughter. We've already done the kid thing so we don't have to have that discussion."

"True," Stephanie said. She heard a knock on the door and she looked to Chris. "Hey, don't you have a match in like ten minutes?"

"Oh yeah, I always forget when I'm around you."

Stephanie took Tristan from Chris's arms as she stood up and went to the door. She was pleasantly surprised to find Lita on the other side. But Lita looked rather conflicted. Chris stood up as well and raised his eyebrows at Stephanie for a moment before going out to get ready for his match. Stephanie stepped aside and Lita came inside.

"So what's up Lita?" Stephanie asked.

"Stacy thinks she walked in on something with me and Hunter," Lita confessed. "And it wasn't anything bad, but I think she thinks it's bad and well, now I'm like…I don't know what to do."

"What happened?" Stephanie asked, going over to sit down next to Lita.

"Hunter and I were messing around," then she added quickly, "not in that way! But we were just horsing around and he was tickling me and well, Stacy walked in and she saw us and we weren't in a provocative position or anything, but well, you know how people can come to the wrong conclusions about things."

"Uh huh," Stephanie nodded, thinking about how she and Chris were jumping to conclusions earlier without knowing the whole story.

"Now I'm afraid that Stacy is going to become suspicious of Hunter because we're friends, and I want him to be happy, you know."

"You and Hunter have gotten pretty cozy," Stephanie said gently, hoping that she wasn't treading into really scary territory right now. She wanted to approach the topic delicately because it really was a volatile situation.

"He's a good guy," Lita said, looking over at Stephanie. "I mean, you probably know that, but he's a good guy."

"He is a good guy," Stephanie relented. "Lita…"

"Yeah?" Lita said, reaching out to grab Tristan's hand, playing with it a little as the little girl watched the two older women attentively. "Do you have a problem with me hanging out with Hunter?"

"No, it's not that," Stephanie said. "I just…well, I don't know, get this weird vibe between the two of you, and I know I'm probably being crazy in seeing it, but I definitely see something there."

"Oh."

Lita didn't know how to respond to that exactly. She'd be lying if she just said that nothing stirred inside her when she was around Hunter. Something DID stir inside her when she was around him. Was it necessarily something to explore, no, not necessarily. But she could definitely see herself with Hunter if she wasn't with Matt, if she didn't love Matt. And she loved Matt, she repeated to herself, she definitely loved Matt.

"I'm sorry, I know that I shouldn't bring this up with you, but I was just…well, Chris and I…we just noticed, and if we're wrong, I'm so sorry for just jumping to conclusions, but you know, if there is something…"

"If I didn't have Matt," Lita said slowly. "I would have definitely fallen for Hunter…"

It was Stephanie's time to say, "Oh."

"Yeah, it's a scary thing to think about, that there might be this other guy that would be great for you. But Matt and I…we're married, I love him, and I'm having his baby. I think…I think I've kind of latched onto Hunter because Matt hasn't exactly been so supportive of me during this whole ordeal with the morning sickness. I mean, I know he's sympathetic, but he wasn't exactly in the bathroom with me pulling my hair back."

"Hunter pulled your hair back while you were throwing up?" Stephanie asked, taking what she was saying to infer that Hunter had been there for Lita.

"Yeah," Lita said, smiling as she thought of the memory. "We were talking and I had that nausea come over me so quickly and I went to throw up and he came in and actually sat with me. Matt's never done that. I mean, I don't necessarily need that…but it'd be nice."

"Lita, don't mistake kindness for something more."

"I'm not," Lita assured her friend. "But when you were with Hunter, did you ever think about what it would be like to be with Chris?"

"Occasionally," Stephanie admitted. "But I never did anything about it. I mean, I loved Hunter, and I didn't exactly love Chris at the time. I knew that maybe if things had been different…but I was also having Chris's baby."

"Yeah, and I'm not having Hunter's baby," Lita said with a strained laugh. "I'm not falling for Hunter."

"I never said you were," Stephanie told her.

Lita nodded. "Hey, mind if I steal your kid for a while?"

"Trist, would you like to go hang out with Lita?" Stephanie asked, tilting her head down to look at Tristan.

"Ok," Tristan said.

"Cool," Lita said, standing up and picking up Tristan. "We'll be safe, don't worry."

"See you guys."

Lita walked out of the room with Tristan in tow. She smiled down at the little girl and wondered if she'd have a little girl as well, someone who looked like her and Matt, maybe more like her, but with some of Matt's features, or maybe a little boy who looked like his father. She smiled to herself, reassured of her love for Matt. She loved Matt and she was committed to him, no matter the stirrings in her stomach.

"Hey babe!" Lita heard from behind her and she turned to see her husband.

"Hey Matt," Lita said, leaning up to give him a small kiss.

"What're you doing with Tristan?" he asked.

"Nothing," she told him. "I just thought I'd get used to having to hold a child, and there was a child available. Thought I'd just hang out with her."

"Hey Tristan, what's up?" Matt said, shaking her hand.

"Hi," Tristan said, looking up at him.

Matt smiled. "So how's our little one?"

"Seems to be ok," Lita informed him. "I love you."

"I love you too," Matt said, wrapping his arm around her. "Where were you headed?"

"Probably our locker room."

"Let me walk you there then," he told her. She leaned against him slightly as they were walking. They had just turned the corner when they heard shouting coming from somewhere close. "Looks like someone's having a fight."

"Yeah," she laughed. "I wonder if they know how loud they're being."

"Who knows," Matt said as they got closer to the shouting. Close enough so that the shouts could be heard.

"It was nothing!"

"I walked in on you!"

"I wasn't doing anything with her!"

"Tell me now Hunter, are you sleeping with Lita!"


	80. Chapter 80

Lita leaned back as she stood there. It was like an instinctive thing, like she had felt the force of Stacy's shouted words and like an explosion, they had thrown her back. She stood there, her face, she couldn't describe her face because she couldn't see it, but she imagined that it did not look pretty at that moment. She felt her eyes widen and he jaw slack, and it was almost like she wasn't in her own body. She wasn't out of her body, but she wasn't in it either.

Before she had time to fully react, before she had a moment to compose herself, she saw Matt storming away in front of her, not waiting to hear what Hunter's shouted response would be. He just walked away, and she could feel the disgust coming off of her in waves. She realized she still had Tristan in her arms, and she looked down at the little girl who was looking up at her curiously, her big blue eyes like Chris's, they were questioning and she didn't need words to express it, if she even knew the words to say.

"Hey little one," she said hoarsely to the little girl. "How about we go find your mommy or daddy and you can go back and hang out with them."

"Mama," Tristan said happily, not realizing that she was in the middle of a decidedly volatile situation.

"Yeah, your mommy would love to see you, she always loves to see you," Lita said. "You like your mommy huh?"

"Yeah," Tristan answered.

Lita would've moved, but for the moment she felt glued to the spot she was standing in. She willed her legs to move and they felt heavy, like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and that's almost what she felt like. Matt didn't even stay to hear the answer, he stormed off and she knew that he was thinking the worst. But she had to get Tristan back to her parents before she went and saw her husband.

Lita walked quickly once she found the use of her legs and she walked straight to Stephanie's office. She didn't bother knocking on the door because she didn't have the time to be knocking and waiting. She had to go talk to Matt; this was just something that couldn't wait. Stephanie was straddling Chris's lap in her large, leather desk chair and the door opening startled her and she turned around embarrassed, thinking it was her father.

"Oh, it's just you," Stephanie said, a little bit relieved. "I thought you were my dad and I was going to freak."

"I needed to give Tristan back."

"Was she misbehaving?" Stephanie asked. Tristan wasn't the type to really misbehave, and she would be dismayed to hear that her daughter had been doing something bad that warranted Lita bringing her back so soon.

"No, she was perfect as usual, I just needed to really, really talk to Matt, and I don't think that Tristan wants to be subject to the kind of discussion that we're going to have."

Chris would've asked if it was a good discussion or a bad one, but Lita's face pretty much gave it away. Stephanie got off of Chris's lap, adjusting her top and went over to take Tristan from Lita's arms. Tristan instantly cuddled herself up to Stephanie and it was moments like this that Stephanie wished Tristan could talk in full, coherent sentences because she figured something big had gone down.

"Thanks," Lita said. "I'll see you guys later."

"Okay," Stephanie said, her voice trailing off. She didn't want to pry and Lita didn't want to stay. Lita was out the door even before Stephanie could finish the one word she had said. Stephanie turned to Chris and shrugged helplessly. "I wish Tristan could tell us what happened."

"What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, but…I'm not sure…I don't know…I don't know if I should tell you," she stammered.

"Steph, we're getting married, you can tell me anything and everything, you know that."

"I just get this vibe…I think that Lita might be falling for Hunter," Stephanie said softly.

Tristan looked up at Stephanie and tilted her head. "Yeah."

"See, even she agrees with me," Stephanie said, pointing at Tristan. "I hate to say it, but the way she was talking earlier, the things she was saying, it really sounded like…like she was trying to convince herself that she wasn't falling for him."

"But Matt…"

"Chris," Stephanie said, going over and planting herself back down on Chris's lap. He grunted under the weight of his two girls. Chris looked up at her, waiting for her to finish what she was going to say because he knew there was more to what she wanted to say than what she had said. "Chris, sometimes you just can't choose when and how you fall for someone. I mean, you should know that because you fell for me when I was married to Hunter. Sometimes these kind of things happen and they happen and that's it. We can't decide who we're attracted to and who we aren't attracted to."

"But you were pregnant with my child," Chris answered. "You were pregnant with Tristan, and you were carrying our child, I mean, that was a whole different situation. Lita is pregnant with Matt's child, how can she fall for Hunter?"

"I don't know, maybe she's just projecting these feelings onto him, or maybe we've got it all wrong, but it's not our place to interfere. We have to step back and let things work out. If Lita wants Hunter, there's nothing that's going to stop her. Nothing…I mean, I thought I wanted Hunter, but if I did, I wouldn't have told the truth, my guilt would not have been there."

"So if you weren't guilty…"

"No, I WAS guilty because I did want you, on some level."

"I got you gorgeous," Chris said, running his hand up and down her back. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to two of my best friends."

"I don't either, but we have to let them work this out."

Lita found Matt in their locker room, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He looked up at the door when she walked in and he sneered at her. That hurt to see, but she needed to push on. She walked over slowly, tentative, making sure that it was okay to do so. She sat down gingerly, her butt right at the edge of the couch, like she would make a quick getaway if she needed to.

"You ran off," she stated, not knowing how else to begin.

"Well, when you hear something like that you don't exactly want to stick around."

"I know."

"I mean, Stacy Keibler, when do we ever, EVER talk to Stacy Keibler, and yet, she is talking about you to Hunter."

"I know," she repeated.

"You know, I didn't think to think about how often you're around Hunter, I didn't even think about it."

"There's nothing to think about Matt," Lita told him. She placed her hand on his arm, hoping that he wouldn't pull away from her. He didn't and she was a little reassured that he wasn't allowing any physical contact. "Hunter and I have never slept together."

"I know, I trust you," Matt said.

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, something inside of me snapped when she yelled that. Because you have been around Hunter a lot lately, you've been hanging out and I know there's not really anything going on…what led Stacy to believe there was."

"Hunter was tickling me and she walked in and assumed the worst. Its Stacy's thing, she just…she doesn't believe that she belongs with him or something like that. Whatever she thinks didn't happen. Hunter and I…we just got close after we helped to get Chris to propose to Stephanie, that's the only reason."

"Oh, you could've asked me, you know?"

"I know, but Hunter knew the situation and he and Chris have been getting close and Chris confided in him that he was proposing to Stephanie."

"Chris confided in HUNTER?" Matt asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, they're actually becoming friends, and so Hunter and I were thrown together helping them, that's what it was, that's how we got close and why we were hanging out so much," Lita explained further.

"So why are you still hanging out? Stephanie and Chris are engaged already, they're happy."

"Because when you get to know Hunter, he's not a bad guy," Lita said. "He's not a bad guy at all."

"And this is what worries me," Matt told her. "I love you Lita, you know that--"

"I do know that," she said firmly.

"Good, I just…I don't want to lose you."

"We're honest right?" Lita said, looking down at the floor. "With each other, we've always been honest."

"Yeah, there's no secrets."

Lita took a deep breath. "I feel something for Hunter."

Matt swung his head over to hers quickly, his eyes stricken and his face tight. "What?"

"I don't know Matt. He…he held my hair back when I was throwing up, and you've never done that…"

"So just because I've never held your hair back, you think that you're falling for someone?" he said, his voice getting angrier. She looked away; she just couldn't look at him anymore. But it was time to tell the truth. She couldn't lie to her husband or to herself. Did she love Hunter? No, she didn't, but did she like him? There was a chance.

"I just want…"

"You want him, don't you?" Matt said, standing up and pacing in front of her. "You want him and you want to dump me!"

"No!" Lita screamed. "That's not what I want. I just want…I just want you to be different. You've been weird ever since I got pregnant, and I know you care about my well-being, I KNOW you do, but you don't care in the way that I need you to care. I NEED you to be the one there for me Matt. Hunter was there for me, and maybe that endeared me to him, but you barely seemed to care that I was hunched over a toilet for hours. I had some of the worst days of my life trying to deal with my morning sickness and you didn't seem to care."

"Of course I cared! I was so damn worried about you Lita! I just didn't know how to help you!"

"Well you could've done something, anything, you could've done ANYTHING to help me. You know what you did! All you did was ask if I was okay, and I get that you care about me, and I get that you wanted to make sure I was fine, but you needed to be there, you needed to be next to me. I was miserable Matt! I was so miserable and all I wanted was my husband to tell me that everything was going to be okay, that I would get through this, and you never did!"

"Well I'm sorry if I wasn't what you needed," he said. "So you go running to another man!"

"I didn't go running to anyone!" Lita protested. "He was just nice. He was nice to me Matt, I needed someone to be nice to me. I needed someone to sit with me in the bathroom. Why couldn't you have been that guy?"

"Maybe I'm scared okay?" Matt said.

"Of what?"

"This entire thing. I just want things to run smoothly, and with you being so sick, it didn't seem like it was running smoothly. You think I like seeing you throwing up all the time, I hated it."

"And that's why you couldn't even stay around me?" Lita asked. "That's pathetic Matt, that's real pathetic. You KNEW I needed you and yet because you were scared, you didn't want to be around me. I was scared too!"

"Look, I can't deal with this right now."

"You can't deal with this?" she said, reiterating what he had just said. "When can we deal with this? This needs to be dealt with!"

"Yeah, I think I know, since you've run into the arms of another guy."

"I'm not in his arms!" Lita argued. "I'm in no one's arms. My arms are my own. Matt, I married you, I love you, I'm having your child, and yes, I probably feel something I shouldn't for someone, but it's nothing like what I feel for you."

"But you feel SOMETHING!"

"Yes, I didn't want to lie to you," Lita said, tears coming to her eyes now. She had fought so hard to keep them at bay, but they were coming now and she couldn't stop them. She loved Matt, but he hadn't been what she needed and she had latched onto a man that had. "I didn't want to keep you in the dark about this. There's nothing going on with Hunter."

"If I weren't in the picture, would you be with him?"

"Matt, you can't ask me that, that's not a fair question."

"I need the answer Li, I need to hear the answer."

"Matt, you cannot ask me a question like that. The fact is that you ARE in my life and you are my husband."

"But if I weren't, if I were just some guy you knew, would you have fallen for Hunter, would you be with him right now, come on Li, it's a simple question, yes or no?"

"YES! Fine, is that what you want to hear? Yes, if you weren't in the picture, I could picture myself with Hunter! Is that the answer you NEEDED to hear? But the fact remains that you are in my life and you are my husband and I fell in love with you first."

Matt narrowed his eyes, "First? You fell in love with me FIRST? So what? You would fall in love with Hunter if it weren't for me?"

"No, you're misunderstanding my words."

"They sound pretty clear to me," Matt told her. "Sounds to me like you could very well see yourself falling head over heels in love with Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Do you even know this guy Lita? He's an asshole."

"Now wait a minute. He hasn't been an asshole for a really long time, he's a nice guy now."

"And now you're coming to his defense."

"You're taking my words and twisting them around to make me look bad," she countered. "You WANT me to be the bad guy here, don't you Matt? Because then it absolves you? Look, I told you the truth, I told you everything, there's nothing more I have to say to you, I'm sorry for the way I feel, but I'm not sorry for thinking that you've been nowhere for me during my ordeal."

She grabbed her things that were laying around and threw them into her suitcase, zipping it shut quickly. She wheeled it out of there, slamming the door behind her for the added effect. She walked down the hallway and up to a door, knocking on it loudly and quickly. It opened moments later and Lita looked down.

"Matt and I had a fight, can I come in?"


	81. Chapter 81

A/N: I started this story four years ago this week. It was the first story that I had ever written and posted, if you look at the first few chapters, you can pretty much see how different a writer I was back then. Anyways, this has been one of my favorite stories to write, and I hope that you all are still enjoying it as much as I am. So thank you for reading it for the past four years. :)

* * *

"What happened?"

"Matt and I just had a huge fight," Lita confessed again.

"Oh sweetie," Trish said, opening the door wider for her. "Come in, what happened exactly?"

"Is Jeff here?"

"Yeah, he's in the bathroom," Trish said, jerking a finger in the direction of the bathroom. "Why?"

"I don't think he wants to hear this because he's Matt's brother, and I don't think he's going to be too pleased with what I have to say."

"You're starting to scare me Li," Trish said, guiding Lita over to the couch. The two girls sat down and Lita wiped at her eyes, trying to get any tears in them. She didn't know how things had ended up so screwed up, but screwed up they were. Her life was in complete shambles and she didn't know what she was going to do with herself now.

"I think Matt and I may be over…"

"What?" Jeff said as he walked out of the bathroom. "What are you talking about?"

"Matt and I just had a huge fight," Lita said. "Bigger than any fight we've ever had before, and I don't know, I think that I sent him over the edge. This is real bad Jeff, and I don't think I can tell you because you'll hate me too, like Matt does."

"What could you have done that was so bad?" Trish asked.

"I told him that I might have feelings for another man," Lita said, her eyes filling with tears. "And I meant it too, I needed to come clean with him. And I don't know what to do about these feelings, I mean, they're not strong. It's nothing like I feel for Matt, but it's there and I couldn't just ignore it."

"Another man?" Jeff asked. "What other man?"

"Hunter," Lita sighed.

"Oh Li," Trish said, rubbing her leg. "Don't worry, we're going to be here for you. You're just confused, you'll work this all out. You and Matt are having a baby, it can't be so bad that you can't work it out, if only for your child."

"He was so mad at me though," Lita told her. "I've never seen him that mad, it was like he wanted to hit someone, probably Hunter. Oh God, what if he goes and hits Hunter, Hunter could snap him in two."

"I doubt that's what he's going to do," Trish said. "Are you sure about this thing with Hunter?"

"I'm not sure, that's the thing. It's just…Hunter was there for me when Matt wasn't, and that left a big impression on me. I don't know, I just wish that Matt had done some things that he didn't do. Maybe I'm just projecting a lot of my anger into feelings for Hunter, I don't know."

"I don't know either," Trish told her, "but you're welcome to stay with us, right Jeff?"

"Sure, yeah, of course," he told her quickly.

"You hate me right?" Lita said, looking up at Jeff with pathetically sad eyes.

"I don't think I know enough of the situation to hate you," Jeff said. "You're my sister now Li, I can't really hate you. No matter what you do. Plus, you're having my nephew."

"Thanks Jeff, you're a lot more understanding than your brother."

"I have always been the sane one," Jeff joked.

Matt was wandering around aimlessly. He didn't know where he had been, and he didn't know where he was going. He was just wandering around. He couldn't eve thinking about Lita right now. It hurt too much. He loved her, he knew that, but what she said had come as a complete shock to him. How are you supposed to feel when you're wife tells you that she has feelings for another man?

"Hey Matt, what's up?"

Matt looked up and saw Chris with Tristan in his arms. "Hey."

"You look upset, something happen?"

"Well, my wife has feelings for another man, but other than that, nothing much," Matt said sarcastically.

"What?" Chris asked, wondering if what he and Stephanie had been talking about had been true after all.

"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about it in-depth, still trying to let it sink in that my marriage is going to hell," Matt said, then spotted Tristan in his arms. "You have her right?"

"Um, yeah, I have her," Chris said, looking at Tristan. Tristan, for her part, laid her head on Chris's shoulder and snuggled herself against him. "What about her?"

"I know you weren't around Stephanie when she was pregnant, I mean, not really, but what's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Being a dad, what's it like?" Matt asked. "What is it like to have a daughter? I mean, you've had her for over a year, so you must know something."

Chris thought for a moment, wondering how he was going to articulate himself with this. He looked at Tristan, who looked up at him briefly, feeling his eyes on her. Then she went back to leaning her head against his shoulder and he could feel her small breath against his neck. He smiled without even thinking about it, she just always put a smile on his face.

"It's…amazing," he put simply. "I mean, it's the greatest feeling in the world knowing that you made something so perfect. Tristan has always been a good baby, and she's like…she makes my life worth living you know? I mean, if I didn't have her, I wouldn't know how good it was, but I do have her and I realize that my life was just not as good without her in it. She's the main reason I get up in the morning."

"So it's wow?"

"It's pretty wow," Chris nodded. "I mean, I can't really explain how she makes me feel, but I cannot imagine not having her and I wouldn't give her up for the world."

"And if you had been around Stephanie when she was pregnant, how would you have acted?"

"I probably would've been all over her all the time being Mr. Overprotective, but they're my girls, and I love them both and I love just being around them."

Matt sighed. "I think I get what Lita was saying now. You really love Tristan huh?"

"I really love her," Chris said, kissing his little girl on the forehead. "You'll find out man, you'll find out what it's like to have this little kid around you who just loves you unconditionally and doesn't see any of your faults and only sees the good stuff. It doesn't even matter if I win a match or if I do well on something, Tristan loves me no matter what."

"Thanks," Matt said. "I think I needed to hear a lot of that."

"Good luck with Lita," Chris told him.

"Thanks, I think I'm going to need all the help that I can get."

Matt walked away and Chris stood there a moment, before looking down at Tristan and shrugging. She giggled and reached up to poke him in the chin. He gave her a mock glare and she scrunched up her face in the same way that Stephanie did when she was frustrated with something. He kissed her forehead and stared at her for a moment.

"I do love you beautiful," he whispered to her. "Let's go spend some time with Mommy, that always makes me feel better and I'm kind of depressed now."

Matt and Lita had always had a strong relationship, Chris thought as he walked back to find Stephanie. It was like he just needed to be around Stephanie right now so that he could reassure himself that they weren't like Matt and Lita, that things wouldn't fall apart. He knew they were engaged now, but things could always fall apart so easily. Of course, they also had Tristan, and she was such a big part of their lives.

"Back so soon," Stephanie said as Chris opened the door. "What's up?"

"Seems that Lita DOES have feelings for Hunter, if what Matt said is the truth," Chris told her, putting Tristan in her playpen with her toys as he walked over to Stephanie's desk, sitting on the edge, facing her.

"She told him?" Stephanie asked incredulously. "Wow, I'm surprised she would tell him something like that. Wow…"

"I don't know, I'm just worried about them, they're my friends, some of my best friends. They were there through the whole drinking thing," he explained. Stephanie looked away, she seriously hated hearing about that time in his life. "Steph, let's not get into that right now. If we can't talk about it in passing, then we have a problem."

"I can," she told him. "I just don't want to, but I can. We can't worry about Matt and Lita though, they're married, they have to work this out."

"You and Hunter didn't exactly work things out," he pointed out.

"Would you have wanted us to?"

"No, but still, you get the point."

"Hunter and I were totally different. Hunter and I both cheated on each other, and Matt and Lita haven't cheated on each other. Not to mention Matt asked Lita to marry him while Hunter didn't exactly ask me to marry him, totally different situations going on here."

"If you say so."

"Okay, what has you so worried," she said, standing up in front of him. She stood in between his legs and placed her hands on his strong thighs. "This goes way beyond Matt and Lita."

"It's just…I thought what they had was strong and you know, unbreakable. But they're not unbreakable, and so what about us…I mean, we didn't exactly get off to the best start," he said, looking down.

"We're not them," she told him, bringing her hands up to cup his face. "We're our own couple. We've had different experiences and different obstacles, and we're getting married…when we're getting married, I don't know yet."

"Three months," Chris blurted out.

"Huh?"

"I was thinking, three months from now, Tristan will be about a year and a half, and I want to marry you as soon as it is feasible to do so. We could plan a small wedding in three months, don't you think?" he inquired.

"Okay, then three months it is," she answered, leaning forward to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, nudging the back of her leg with his foot so she had to come closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into the kiss, deepening it as the room faded away. Once air became a priority, Stephanie pulled away, but kept lightly kissing his mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too," he told her. "I don't know how I managed to survive without you."

"You didn't, you just drank yourself into oblivion," she joked. "See, I can talk about it in passing with no fanfare."

"I stand corrected," he said, kissing the tip of her nose. "I can't wait until you're Mrs. Jericho. Then you can have the same last name as Tristan and me."

"That's right, she's a Jericho. I'm the odd one out," she laughed. "So are you not afraid anymore, because I don't want to go into a marriage with you while you think that we're going to turn out like another couple."

"I know we won't, I just hate uncertainty. I'm Chris Jericho damn it, I should be able to control any situation because I'm the paragon of virtue."

"Uh huh," she said, indulging him. "You're just the best."

"You better believe it," Chris told her. "Did you ever think, when we were locked in that room together, that we'd end up getting married and having a daughter together?"

"Yeah, I did, I pictured just that happening, it was my incredible foresight that did it," Stephanie joked and Chris looked at her, not amused. She laughed and patted him lightly on the cheek. "I had no reason to believe that it would happen. But I'm glad that you're Tristan's dad because we make such great kids together."

"I think we've had this conversation."

"It can't be said enough how perfect we are for each other and how perfect our children are."

"Children?"

"Child," she corrected. "Because we aren't going down that road again."

"Matt asked me what it was like to be a dad."

"What is it like to be a dad?"

"I don't know, good," he said shortly. "It's good. I didn't think it would be so good, but it's definitely good."

"Hmm…I'm sensing that you think it's good," Stephanie said, then leaned in to kiss him again. "So in three months I get to be Mrs. Chris Jericho. I bet women the world over are going to hate me. I bet they're going to curse me out for snatching you off the market, and they'll think that if only they had slept with you and had your child that they could be where I am."

"So I was just part of your snatching plan then?" he teased.

"Oh yeah, I totally intended to get pregnant that night. I staged the entire thing with Hunter and Stacy…oh God, Stacy, I wonder what she'll think about all of this. I hate to sympathize with the woman that my husband had an affair with, but she must be so conflicted over this as well…hey, do you think that Lita and Hunter will end up together?"

"I don't really want to think about that," Chris admitted. "I mean, Matt and Lita are my friends, and Hunter is my friend, and to just have them switch like that, it creates an awkward situation any way you put it."

"I wonder if Hunter feels the same way…"

"I have no idea. I just know about us. That we're getting married, and that we have a little girl who we both love so much and that we're a family. That's all I know or care about. You, me, and Tristan for the long haul, that's all I care about."

"I love you Chris," Stephanie told him simply and plainly and without prose.

"Well that--"

"Dada!"

Chris's ears perked up beyond belief. He looked at Stephanie, his jaw dropped. She only had a huge, gigantic grin on her face that extended from ear to ear. Chris looked at her and then at the playpen where Tristan was standing and leaning on the side. He looked to Stephanie again and she laughed at the face that he was making.

"Did she…" he said, his voice trailing off as he was rendered speechless. Stephanie nodded. "Really?"

"Dada," Tristan said sternly, demanding his attention.

Chris almost pushed Stephanie the hell out of his way, but she stepped back right before he did that. He rushed over to her playpen and knelt down so that he was face-to-face with her. She smiled at him. "Trist, what did you just say?"

"Dada," she obliged.

"Wow, wow," Chris said, glancing over at Stephanie.

"Dada," Tristan said again.

Chris had never felt perfect until this moment.


	82. Chapter 82

"Ask me why I planned this again."

"Why'd you plan this again?" Chris asked.

"Oh yeah, because our parents deserve to know that we're engaged," Stephanie laughed. "Although, I know that my parents are going to want a big, huge extravaganza and we want a low-key, warm, nice affair."

"We'll balance it out," he told her, tying his tie in front of the mirror. "Do you think that they suspect anything?"

"Maybe they think I'm pregnant again," she laughed. "Or maybe they think this is just a thing for them to get to know each other. You know, I just realized that they haven't really formally met. I know that they met at Trist's birthday, but there were a lot of people there and they probably didn't get a chance to speak to one another."

"And now they get to be family," Chris said. "It's all so nice."

"Do you think they'll be surprised?" she pondered.

"No."

"No?"

"I think if we didn't already have a daughter, they might be surprised, but since we do have a daughter they won't be as surprised. Tristan kind of ruins the whole thing."

"Aww, she doesn't ruin anything," Stephanie said. "Except for her clothes when she manages to spill everything we have in the refrigerator on her shirt and pants. I can't take her anywhere."

"Sure you can, you take her everywhere."

Stephanie looked to the head of the bed where Tristan was nestled against all the pillows. She was wearing a cute little red dress and white patent leather shoes. But she was completely asleep. She saw that one of the straps on her shoes had slipped past her heel and she went to adjust it. Tristan stirred but didn't wake up.

"Poor thing, she's so tired," Stephanie said. "She got tired from all the excitement."

"Didn't she get her nap today?"

"She was too antsy, she didn't want to go down for her nap. It's catching up to her though. I would've asked Edge or Christian or someone to baby-sit, but I know that our parents are going to want to see her. I just hope that she's not cranky at the restaurant. But she's sleeping now so hopefully by the time we get there she's her bubbly self."

"I wonder what people would think about her if they saw her right when she wakes up and she's very, very crabby."

"I don't know, they would realize she's not as perfect as she has so meticulously preened herself to be. You know, she has everyone wrapped around her finger."

"Yeah, I realize that," he said, going over and kneeling next to the bed to watch her for a minute. "Should we wake her up or should I just try and carry her to the car without waking her up?"

"I opt for option B," Stephanie said, standing up and going to the mirror to check herself one more time. "Do you think this is too casual?"

"You're wearing a skirt, that can't ever be too casual," Chris told her. He gazed down at Tristan and tried to figure out the best way to pick her up without waking her up. He finally eased his arms under her small frame and lifted her up gently, trying not to jostle her. He got her into his arms before she stirred a little. She snuffled against Chris's shirt, snuggling into him.

"Dada," she whispered sleepily, her voice trailing off at the end as she fell back asleep. An involuntary smile came over Chris's face as he heard her say his name again. It seriously did not get old.

"Okay, let's go," Stephanie said quietly, grabbing her purse from the bed.

Chris followed Stephanie out of their bedroom and walked slowly down the stairs where Stephanie grabbed Tristan's diaper bag and shouldered it as they left the house. They walked out to the car and Chris carefully set Tristan into her car-seat. She whined a little, but was too tired to really argue with anyone. The drive to the restaurant lulled her to sleep again and when they arrived, Chris and Stephanie turned to the backseat to see Tristan completely conked out with a little line of drool running out of her mouth and down her chin.

"God, it looks like we don't let her sleep ever," Chris laughed.

"I know, she must be extra tired today. She was working pretty hard on those pots earlier. She wants to join your band as a drummer."

"Is that what she was doing, I thought that she was trying to attract all the dogs in the neighborhood."

"Come on, we have a reservation," Stephanie said, getting out of the car and opening the backseat to grab Tristan's bag and her purse. "Get the baby?"

"No, I was going to leave her in the car," he responded sarcastically as he un-strapped Tristan from her car-seat. He picked her up carefully, still not wanting to wake up. She whined again and looked up at him sleepily. "Hey there sleepyhead."

"Dada," she said while yawning. "Dada…"

"Yup, I'm Dada, but you go back to sleep okay. You don't need to be awake if you don't want to." She cuddled her head against him and fell asleep again. He kissed the top of her head as he slammed the door shut and walked behind Stephanie inside the restaurant. She went up to the hostess and told them about their reservation. She said she'd be a minute and Stephanie came over to Chris.

"I asked her if we could possibly have a booth, that way we can lay Tristan down instead of holding her the entire meal," Stephanie told him. "She's checking to see if she has one available."

"Oh good, I don't mind holding her, but she won't be that comfortable."

"I don't know about that. I find your arms to be pretty comfortable," she said, her voice low. "And I know that Tristan loves her Daddy's arms."

"Aww shucks, you make me feel so important," Chris joked.

"Right this way," the hostess said as she came over. "We had a booth available. Well, it's part booth and then some chairs, if that's okay."

"That's great, thanks," Stephanie said, following the hostess. They arrived at the table and Chris slid in first as Stephanie followed. They set Tristan down between them, Stephanie putting her jacket down for Tristan to lay her head on as Chris covered her with his coat.

"Your daughter is really adorable," the hostess said as she laid the menus on the table.

"Oh thanks," Stephanie said. "She's just a little tired tonight."

"She looks it," the woman responded. "Your server will be with you shortly, enjoy your meal."

"Thank you," Chris and Stephanie said in unison. They grabbed their menus and looked at them a moment. "Are you having a drink tonight?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll have a glass of wine…or maybe champagne. Should we get a bottle of champagne?" he asked her.

"Yeah, that's better to toast with than wine. I like that idea," Stephanie said, smiling at him. "I bet my dad is going to want to make a speech or something."

"I wouldn't be surprised, he'll try to make it more about him than it is about us." The waitress came over and took their order for the champagne before wandering off again.

"Like usual," she said with an eye-roll. "Speak of the devil."

Vince sauntered over to the table with Linda a little bit behind him. Stephanie smiled and stood up, hugging first her father and then her mother. She sat back down again as Vince and Linda sat down with them. Vince turned to Stephanie. "You didn't bring Tristan, I was looking forward to seeing her."

"She's here Dad," Stephanie said, pointing down to between her and Chris. "She's just sleeping. She skipped her nap today so she's exhausted."

"Poor thing," Linda said, looking under the table to the sleeping baby. "It's nice that you wanted to get together for dinner."

"Yeah, well, we're waiting on two more people," Chris said.

"We are?" Vince asked. "Who?"

"Oh, here they are now," Chris said, nodding towards his parents, who spotted him instantly. They walked over and smiled. "Hey Mom, hey Dad."

"Hello Christopher, and Stephanie, you're looking as beautiful as you always do," Loretta said. "Where's my little girl?"

"She's sleeping," Stephanie said, pointing towards Tristan. "I'm sure she'll be up soon. But please sit down. I don't know if you've formally met my parents, but this is Vince and Linda McMahon."

"Yes, we spoke briefly at Tristan's birthday party," Ted said, shaking hands with them again, as did Loretta. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, these are my parents, Ted and Loretta," Chris interjected. The champagne came then and Vince, Linda, Loretta, and Ted all looked at each other suspiciously as the champagne was poured evenly into all the glasses and then put into a chilled container next to the table.

"What's going on?" Ted asked.

"We might as well say it and get it over with," Chris said to Stephanie, who had a smile creeping up on her face slowly. "Do you want to say it or shall I?"

"Go ahead," she ushered him, patting his knee.

"Okay, Stephanie and I are getting married, I proposed to her," Chris said with a grin, glancing over at Stephanie who had a matching grin on her face.

"Oh sweetie, congratulations," Loretta said. "And Stephanie, you too, I knew from the first moment that I met you and found out Tristan was my granddaughter, I knew then that you were someone special in my baby boy's life."

"Congratulations," Ted said.

"This is wonderful news," Linda said, "I'm very happy for you both, do you have a date set?"

"Not an actual date, but we're thinking of having the wedding about three months from now. I don't think we want to have a prolonged engagement," Stephanie answered. "We already have a family and we all live together and we just want to make that official."

"This is a good match, I think," Vince said. "Very formidable, good for business."

"Daddy," Stephanie groaned. "Not business, not tonight. I know you'll tell us just how it's good for business in due time, but tonight is just about Chris, Tristan and I."

"Okay, one night only," he winked.

"So how did you propose Chris?" Linda asked.

"Actually, Tristan and I both proposed," he replied. "Tristan gave her the ring and I gave her the proposal. I asked for Tristan's permission of course. I didn't want her to think I was just going to marry her mother without asking for permission."

"Although Tristan did tell me no when I asked if I should marry him, so I don't know what that was about."

"Oh, someone heard her name," Chris said as Tristan started wake up and look around, not knowing where she was. "And in other big news…Tristan finally said my name the other day. So she had a big week as well."

"Dada," Tristan said as if on cue, lifting her arms up to him. Chris lifted her into her lap and she was surprised to see so many people around her. She held onto Chris's neck as she looked around. Her hair was rumpled and her dress bunched, but she still looked like a little cutie.

"Look at all these people who came to see you," Chris said, pointing towards their parents.

"Hi," Tristan waved happily, turning on the charm immediately.

Stephanie was about to say something when her cell phone went off in her purse. She looked to Chris, who shrugged, indicating that he didn't know who would be calling right now. She looked down at the display and saw that it was Trish calling her. That was really weird though because Trish usually didn't call her when she was at home. They were friends and all, but Trish didn't live in Tampa.

"Hey, sorry, I have to take this," Stephanie said, getting up from the table. "Chris, you know what I want, right?"

"Yeah, I'll order for you, don't worry," Chris said to her.

"Thanks, sorry everyone, but I really have to take this." She walked away from the table and went near the bathrooms, trying to get a little bit of privacy for the call. She opened her cell phone and answered the call. "Trish, its Steph, what's up?"

"We have a major crisis going on," Trish said with desperation.

"With what?"

"Lita."

"Oh my God, is she okay? Is her baby okay?" Stephanie asked with alarm.

"Yeah, they're both fine…for now. She won't eat though, and she's not sleeping, and I don't know what to do. I'm at my wits end, and I don't know what else I can do for her. I mean, I've never seen her like this before. Matt's not talking to her, I know that, even though Jeff is telling him he's being a jerk about it, which he is. So she's totally depressed and neither Jeff nor I know what to do about it."

"Oh man," Stephanie sighed. "She's really bad?"

"Really bad. And I'm worried for her baby if she's this depressed. Can you imagine what Matt would think if she lost the baby?" Trish whispered, like it was a taboo subject.

"Yeah, I can imagine," Stephanie said. "I don't know, I'm not there, I can't assess the situation."

"I was kind of hoping you had Hunter's number," Trish said slowly. "I know that sounds like a strange request, but…well, you know what happened."

"Yeah, I know," Stephanie said, letting out a breath. "What are you going to do with his number?"

"I'm going to ask him to talk to her. I figure if she does have feelings for him, maybe he can at least get her to eat. She just needs to eat, for her baby, she needs it, you know."

"Trust me, I know," Stephanie said. "Yeah, I can give you his number."

"Thank you so much Stephanie, I'm really sorry to bother you, I know that you had that dinner, but--"

"This is more important," Stephanie said firmly. "There's a life involved here. Hunter's number is 395-557-2482. That's his cell phone number, he can be reached there pretty much all the time. His home phone number is 395-097-3426."

"Thank you Steph, this means a lot."

"No problem, just make sure that she gets better."

"I'm trying. Bye."

"Bye."

Stephanie flipped her cell phone down and closed her eyes. Just when her life was coming together, her friend's lives were falling apart. It was funny how the universe seemed to balance itself out. When something was up, something else had to be down. She was worried about Lita's baby. It was not good to be so depressed while pregnant. When Stephanie had first found out about Tristan, she had been terrified about what she was going to do. She knew the kind of dangers that went along with undue stress while pregnant and she didn't want Lita to have to go through that.

"Everything okay gorgeous?" she heard his voice before she saw his face. She opened her eyes and saw Chris standing directly in front of her. She shook her head mutely. "Who was on the phone?"

"Trish," she answered. "Where's Trist?"

"She's with our parents, they're doting, she's eating it up with a spoon. That girl can manipulate anyone better than I know, even you."

"Yeah, she's smart."

"So what did Trish need?"

"Lita's in bad shape," Stephanie said, looking down at the ground. "Trish wanted Hunter's number because she thinks that maybe Hunter can convince her to at least eat something. She's not eating."

"That can't be good for the baby…or for her."

"You're telling me. I just wonder how things got so screwed up, and if somehow this is my fault by merging their worlds together."

"You can't control people's feelings," Chris told her, running his hand down her cheek. "If you could, then I would've made you fall for me a lot sooner than you did."

"If she loses her baby, Matt's going to think she did it on purpose so she could go to Hunter, no strings attached."

"She's not going to lose her baby."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't know that, but at some point, isn't there just plain survival tactics? Isn't there some sort of motherly instinct that has to protect your child? I mean, you feel it with Tristan don't you? Like you would do anything to protect her."

"Yeah, I did feel that, but I can't speak on behalf of every mother in the world. I know what I felt for my little girl, but I don't know how Lita feels about her baby."

"I just can't think that she would let herself go so much as to put her baby in danger."

"I know."

"Come on, let's go get our own baby and try to forget about all that other stuff and focus on what this evening is supposed to be about…us getting married," he said, giving her a kiss. She leaned into him, pressing her lips against his.

"Let's not kid ourselves, it's all about Tristan, all the time."

"Well, yeah…but we'll steal a little attention for ourselves."

"And incur Trist's wrath, no thanks," Chris joked as they walked back to the table, his arm wrapped snugly around her waist.

"Everything okay you two?" Loretta asked as they arrived at the table. Stephanie smiled and sat down.

"Couldn't be better."


	83. Chapter 83

"So then Prince Charming came to the house and the evil stepsisters tried the glass slipper on, but it didn't fit. The Prince asked if there were any other young women in the house, and since the stepsisters were evil, they said no, but then the Prince spotted Cinderella and you know what happened?"

"Yeah," Tristan mumbled.

"What?"

"Dada."

"No, I didn't go into the story," Chris told her. "I'll tell you what happened. The prince let Cinderella try on the shoe and it was a perfect match! So then Prince Charming knew that it had been Cinderella all along and he whisked her away to the castle and she became a Princess, and I'm sure those evil stepsisters of hers got what was coming to them. Nice story huh?"

"Yeah," Tristan breathed against Chris's side. She snuggled herself deeper into her daddy's side and let her head fall against him. She was falling asleep rapidly, the sippy cup she had been holding starting to fall out of her hand. Chris set the book down on the small table next to the rocking chair he was sitting in and gently took the cup from Tristan's hand. She made a belated grab for it and whined, reaching her hands out. "No…"

"It's okay," Chris told her, rubbing her hand with his finger. "It's time for bed beautiful."

Tristan gave a little whine, but made no attempt to move from her spot against Chris's side. Chris put her cup on the table and lifted up Tristan so she was cradled in his arms. She closed her eyes slowly, trying to fight off the sleep coming over her but not succeeding. Sleep was coming too fast for the little girl and she could do nothing but cuddle against her daddy as he walked over to her crib. He went to lay her down, but she suddenly grabbed his shirt, not wanting to be let go.

"Beautiful, you have to go to sleep." She whined pitifully, her eyes still closed.

"Hey," Stephanie whispered as she walked into the bedroom. "You putting her down."

"Yeah," Chris said as he rocked Tristan back and forth to put her to sleep so he could put her in her crib without her whining.

Stephanie took Tristan's hand and held it as Chris rocked her back and forth. Tristan fell asleep quickly and Stephanie pressed a kiss to her forehead as Chris kissed her cheek. He set her down into her crib and pulled the light blanket over her tiny body. They watched her for a moment, then turned her nightlight on and left the room, leaving the door open a crack so they could hear her. Stephanie leaned against the wall and sighed deeply.

"What's wrong?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know, but you do know that something is wrong?"

"I don't know," Stephanie said. "I just…I can't stop thinking about Lita, you know? It's just really troubling for me."

"That's understandable," Chris said, taking her hand in his. "But things are going to be okay, I promise you that."

"You can't promise me that, it's not possible."

"Well I'm promising that to you," Chris said. "So what kind of wedding do you want to have?"

"A small one, nothing extravagant…okay, maybe a little bit extravagant. I just want…I want a wedding that I dreamed of, you know. I know that my life hasn't exactly met the expectations that I've set for myself, but I just want this one thing to go right, you know what I mean?"

"I want you to have everything you want. You deserve it."

"I don't, but you make me believe that I do," Stephanie said with a smile. She leaned forward until she was laying her head on his chest. "I definitely know why Tristan loves to be cuddled by you. You definitely have the safety thing going for you."

"Well thanks," he laughed, pulling her into a tight hug. "If Hunter and Lita end up together, how will you feel about that?"

"I'll take it in stride. I think we know first-hand that you don't decide who you fall in love with and you definitely can't decide the when." The phone rang and Stephanie cursed slightly, not wanting to be interrupted. "I'm going to go get that."

"Okay, I'm going to go change into my pajamas."

Stephanie nodded and headed downstairs to get the phone. She picked it up and brought it up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Steph, it's Hunter."

"Oh hey," Stephanie said. "How's it going?"

"Not good," he said sullenly. "Stacy broke up with me."

"Oh Hunter, I'm sorry, what happened?"

"She just wasn't comfortable in our relationship. I've known it for a while, I guess I was just trying to ignore it because I loved her. But she's never been comfortable being public with our relationship because of how we started."

"Do you want me to talk to her, explain that it isn't like that? I'm over what happened, you're over what happened, we should be able to move on. Do you want me to tell her that? I know that you love her."

"No, its cool Steph, I'm not going to change her mind. I do love her, but she's just…she's ashamed and I can't change her mind about it. I mean, it sucks since I was planning to propose, but maybe it'll be for the best."

"I really am sorry Hunter, really, really sorry," Stephanie said sympathetically.

"Thanks, anyways, I got a call from Trish, and I would've picked it up, but Stacy was right in the middle of dumping me, and she didn't leave a message and I was wondering what that was all about, I tried calling her back, but she wasn't picking up her phone. I figured you might know something about it."

"Oh yeah…um, I gave Trish your number because of Lita."

"Lita?" Hunter inquired. "What about her?"

"She's in bad shape. The whole thing with Matt, it's really getting to her. She's staying with Trish and Jeff right now, and she's doing really badly. She's not eating or sleeping and she's just depressed and Trish knew you guys were friends and thought that…well that you could help."

"Why could I help?"

Stephanie didn't want to divulge just why Hunter would have such an impact on her. It wasn't her job to tell her ex-husband that a married woman had feelings for him. If anyone was going to tell him, it had to be Lita. So she lied through her teeth, "Well, we've all tried, and nobody else has been able to get through to her, so we figured, maybe you could."

"I don't know what I could do, I mean, we're friends…do you have Trish's address?"

"Hold on, I know that Chris has Jeff's address and that's where they are…wait…are you going to go see her?"

"Yeah, why not? If she's so bad off, maybe if I go see her, she'll listen to reason."

"But you just broke up with Stacy," Stephanie countered.

"That was a long time coming," Hunter sighed, "The address Steph?"

"Oh yeah, okay. Hold on," she said, placing the phone down. She went upstairs and to her bedroom where Chris was lounging on the bed, watching television. He looked at her inquisitively. "I need Jeff's address."

"Huh?"

"Just give it to me," Stephanie demanded.

"Okay, fine, it's downstairs in the address book next to the phone," Chris told her. She hopped on the bed a moment and planted a kiss on his lips before bounding out of the room and back downstairs, grabbing the address book and looking up Jeff's address.

A few hours later, Hunter was knocking on the door of Jeff's house. He looked around a little apprehensively. It was late and he didn't know if anyone would be awake. Not to mention Jeff had kind of a creepy house. He tapped his foot impatiently before a light turned on and the door opened, revealing Trish. She didn't look good, but he couldn't figure out of that was because she had been sleeping or because she was on edge. It was both.

"Hunter, oh my God, what are you doing here?" Trish asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Lita needed my help," he answered tentatively.

"Oh thank you so much for coming," she said, launching herself into his arms and hugging him. "You don't know what this means. We've been so worried about her."

"She's really not doing well?"

"No, she's really not. Come on, I'll take you to her room," Trish said. Hunter let his duffel bag drop on the ground next to the door and he followed Trish silently down a hallway. She stopped in front of a door and she turned to Hunter. "She's in here, um…it's not pretty, just warning you okay?"

"Okay," Hunter said, glancing at the door. Trish gave him another hug and then left him alone in the hallway, disappearing behind another door. Hunter stared at the door for a second, wondering what he would find on the other side. This entire thing was just strange, but Lita had been a good friend to him and he could at least try to get through to her. He knocked on the door quietly.

"Go away Trish!"

Hunter opened the door a little bit and stuck his head inside. "It's not Trish, it's me, Hunter."

"Hunter!" Lita said, sitting up quickly and staring at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Got a call, heard you were feeling like crap and wanted to see if I could make you feel better," he said, coming fully into the room, closing the door behind him.

"You can't," she said, lying down again. "I really blew it this time."

"What happened?" he asked, moving towards the bed slowly.

"I told something to Matt that I probably shouldn't have, and he took it the wrong way. But I wanted to be honest with him, I didn't want to lie to him, but what I said really, really hurt him. I really just blew it."

"It couldn't have been as bad as you think it was."

"Oh, but it was, and he'll probably never want to speak to me again…and I don't know what to do, I just don't know what to do about the whole thing."

"I think eating would be a start," he said as he sat down on the bed facing her. "A really good start."

"I'm not hungry," she told him.

"You might not be, but you're pregnant Li, and you have to eat," he said, touching her knee innocently. Lita felt unnerved by his touch, but she didn't dare move his hand off of her.

"I'm not hungry," she repeated.

"Don't make me force food down your throat, I'll do it," he joked, and he saw her actually crack a smile. "Okay, so you can't be that bad off if you remember how to actually smile. Come on, how about we go out to like Denny's or something and grab a bite to eat."

"Denny's? You are willing to go into a Denny's?" she asked incredulously. "I didn't figure someone like you would be seen going into someplace like that."

"You're always underestimating me Li," he said, patting her knee. "Come on, it's the middle of the night, the only people there will be teenagers and truck drivers, perfect company. So get dressed and come on."

She didn't know why she complied so easily, but she did anyways. It took her a little bit because her hair was so unkempt and she hadn't brushed it in a couple of days. She hadn't done much of anything the past couple of days and she was reminded of that fact as her stomach growled loudly. She threw on a pair of old sweats and a t-shirt as she came back out to see Hunter already standing by the door waiting for her. They left the house discreetly and out to Hunter's rental car. The drive was short as Lita directed Hunter to the nearest open restaurant.

Hunter was glad to see her ordering a big meal and she blushed under his scrutiny as the waitress left after taking their orders. "Stop staring at me."

"So what's up? Why did you and Matt have such a huge fight?"

She visibly tensed and Hunter narrowed his eyes at her. "We had a fight."

"You mentioned that, what was it about...I mean, you don't have to tell me, but well, it had to have been bad if you aren't even talking to him."

"I confessed something to him," she said simply, taking a sip of her water to try and break the conversation.

"And he didn't like it?"

"No, he didn't like it," she told him. "He saw it as something really bad. I probably shouldn't have confessed, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. He's my husband, you should be honest with your husband right?"

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way with Stephanie," Hunter said regretfully.

"Was it hard?"

"Was what hard?"

"Getting out of your marriage?" she asked, her eyes riveted to his. She wanted to know if it had been easy to just walk out of a marriage.

"Well when she blurted out that Tristan wasn't mine, I think I was able to read the writing on the wall," Hunter laughed, but then his lips pursed together. "Of course it was hard. I loved Stephanie, despite everything that happened between us. I did love her, and I'm still sorry that I cheated on her. Eventually it worked out alright."

"Yeah, she has Chris, you have Stacy."

"Actually, she has Chris, I have no one," he chuckled humorlessly. "Stacy broke up with me today."

"What? Oh no, because of what happened with us?"

"No, she just never wanted to acknowledge the fact that we were together. I think that if we hadn't gotten together and had an affair on Stephanie, she would've been okay with everything, but she's not okay with how we started."

"Hunter, I'm so sorry," she said, placing her hand over his. "You didn't have to come all this way for me."

"It was okay, don't worry about it. Why all the questions about getting out of your marriage though? Are you thinking about leaving Matt?"

"I don't know, he might've already left me," she said, and before another word could be said, their food came. They ate in relative silence, each thinking about their broken relationships. They didn't say much on the ride home and they didn't say much when Hunter walked Lita to her room.

"I'm gonna go now, I booked a hotel and I should probably get going," Hunter told her.

"Please stay," she told him. "Just stay with me for a while."

Hunter didn't know how to answer, so he just nodded and followed her into her room.


	84. Chapter 84

Hunter was uncomfortable. He knew this was wrong and he knew that he shouldn't be here, and yet, here he was, staring up at the ceiling, the weird swirls painted on the ceiling giving him a much needed distraction. It wasn't yet morning, but it wasn't night either. It was that time in between, when everything is new, and the dew is just setting on the grass. And here he was, laying in a bed he had never laid in before, with a woman he had never laid with before.

Lita was curled up securely at his side. Her left leg was slung a little bit over his, and he head was resting lightly on his chest. She was warm next to him, maybe too warm and she was breathing rhythmically, obviously asleep. Just last night, Hunter had been sleeping with Stacy in his bed, granted, she was on the other side from him and not even touching him, but then tonight, he wasn't even in his own bed and with a married woman no less.

But everything had been completely innocent, nothing that played out had been bad or illicit in any way. He had just laid down, and she had laid down and cuddled up to him. There was nothing more to it than that. There couldn't be more to it than that. He knew he was already treading in very dangerous territory right now, but there couldn't be too much harm in simply lying in the same bed with Lita.

He needed to talk to someone, and the only person that came to his mind was Stephanie. Stephanie always had the answer for everything and she had been in a similar situation. She had been the wife who was confused and lost, and she had run to Chris for comfort. Now Lita was running to him for comfort and he didn't know how to handle that, especially because he was a single man again. That probably added to the already volatile situation.

He slowly extricated himself from Lita's arms, careful not to wake her. She gently rolled onto the empty side, but didn't wake up. He grabbed his phone off the side table and went into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door softly behind him. He turned on the light, squinting a little bit because Jeff had painted the room a bright orange that actually hurt his eyes. He sat down on the edge of the tub and dialed Stephanie's number.

The phone rang right in Chris's ear and he groaned loudly as he woke up to its clanging, annoying bell. He reached blindly for the phone, having a bit of a hard time since Stephanie was laying half on top of him, her warm, unclothed skin almost melding with his own. She groaned too, but made no other movements as Chris got the phone.

"Hello?" he said, his voice hoarse with sleep and he briefly thought about the night Tristan was born, with him in this exact spot, but obviously not with Stephanie on top of him or anything of that matter.

"Chris, it's Hunter."

"Hey man, do you know what time it is?" Chris asked, yawning. "Wait, you're with Lita, is she okay? Did something happen to her or her baby?"

"No, nothing like that, she ate and everything, I just kind of need to talk to Stephanie. It's kind of important."

"Like important enough for me to wake her up?" Chris asked. "Because I'd hate to wake her up if I didn't have to."

"It's important, please, I know this is a weird thing I'm asking, but I really need her advice and I think that she's probably the only one who would understand the situation."

"Okay, hold on," Chris said, putting the phone down on the night table and poking Stephanie in the shoulder. "Steph, wake up."

"What? Is Tristan crying?"

"No, she doesn't cry at night anymore," Chris said, "phone for you."

"Phone?" she asked, lifting her head off his chest. "Is it morning?"

"No, it's not morning."

"Is it an emergency?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "Hunter just called and said that he needed to talk to you and he said that whatever it is, is important, so I think you should take the call."

"Okay, hold on," she said, lifting herself off of Chris's body and rolling over to the other side of the bed. She reached to the ground and grabbed a pair of Chris's boxers and slipped them on before getting up and grabbing her robe from the chair in the corner, slipping it over her and tying it around her waist. She went over and grabbed the phone, holding it in her hand as she told Chris, "Go back to sleep, I'll take this into your office."

"You sure?"

"Of course," she told him, leaving the room and padding quietly down the hallway, checking on Tristan briefly, who was sound asleep in her crib. She went into Chris's office and sat down on the plush couch. "Hunter?"

"Hey, I was thinking I'd never get to talk to you," he told her.

"Yeah, well, I'm here, so what's this about?"

"Well…it's difficult to explain," he whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Lita's asleep in the next room, I'm in the bathroom," he explained, momentarily forgetting why that statement could be construed as something totally inappropriate. Stephanie's mind however, went to that place almost immediately, having seen this situation with Hunter before.

"Oh Hunter no," she said softly, disappointment overriding every other emotion in her voice.

"What?" he asked, confused for a moment before it dawned on him as to why Stephanie would sound like that. "Oh, no, no, nothing happened Steph, I swear to you that nothing happened."

"Okay, I believe you, but why is she in the next room?"

"She asked me to just lie with her, to be there for her, and that's cheating isn't it? I didn't want to be in this kind of situation again, and yet here I am. Am I just some sort of cheating machine?"

"Hunter, don't beat yourself up over this," Stephanie said, drawing her knees up as she rested her head against the side of the couch. "What happened between you and me and what happened between Matt and Lita, and what's happening now are two totally different situations and you have to understand that."

"I don't want to break up another marriage," he said, and she could tell that he was dead serious. He had already screwed up his own marriage and he didn't want to ruin someone else's marriage.

"Did you talk to Lita?" Stephanie asked, wondering if Lita had confessed anything to him regarding her feelings.

"Yeah, I did talk to her."

"What about? Did she tell you anything about how she's feeling, or her feelings for Matt…or anyone else?"

"No, nothing like that, why?" Hunter asked. "Did she cheat on Matt?"

"No, but I really think you should ask Lita about this," Stephanie said. "If she invited you into her bed, however innocently, that has to mean something and you have to figure out what that means. Hunter, you of all people should know that sometimes the person that we think we love isn't the person that we're meant to be with."

"Like you and me."

"Exactly like you and me. We were happy for a while Hunter, we were, but then…then there was Chris, and you know how happy I am with him. Talk to Lita because I think she's really going through some things that are confusing to her. Think about it Hunter, think about why you're there, why she took your help."

"Thanks Steph, you're the best."

"I do my best thinking before the sun comes up," she joked. "Now try and get some sleep."

"Bye Steph."

"Bye."

Hunter hung up the phone and went back into the bedroom. He thought about what Stephanie had said and though the dots weren't all connected, they were starting to make a little more sense than they had before. Lita was his friend, he considered her his friend, and perhaps, in some alternate universe, they were together, but this wasn't some alternate universe. This was the here and now.

"Li?" he whispered, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"Hmm?" she mumbled after a moment.

"I'm going to get going okay."

"No," she whined, grasping blindly for his arms, "please don't leave me Hunter, please…"

"Li, what we're doing here, this is wrong, we both know it's wrong. I don't feel comfortable lying in a bed with you because you're married. I should've said no earlier, but you weren't doing too well, but now that I've had time to think about it, this isn't right, we can't be here like this."

She sat up and looked at him. "Hunter, the reason that Matt…the reason that he…got mad at me…had to do with…you…"

"Me, but why did it have to do with me." Yeah, the dots hadn't all connected yet.

"I have feelings for you," she told him slowly. She looked down, ashamed. "I didn't want to lie to Matt, so I told him the truth, and…he got angry, which is completely understandable, and that's the story."

"Wow…" He didn't know what else to say. He should've been more shocked, but it was like he kind of almost expected it. Now that could sound cocky, but it wasn't. He just genuinely thought that it was a possibility. The dots had connected for him, but they didn't make any more sense than they had a few minutes earlier.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he told her, giving her arm a companionable squeeze. "I'm flattered, really I am."

"Flattered…nice." Now she was so embarrassed. She hadn't expected her to ravish her or anything, but she had wanted a little more reaction out of him. Damn it, she shouldn't want that, it was wrong. It was wrong to want him to think about her in romantic terms. She was still married, he had just recently broken up with his girlfriend, whom he wanted to become his fiancée, and here she was, just being selfish and thinking about what she wanted.

"Li, I've been in this situation before, I've…done things I'm not proud of. I'm lucky that Stephanie doesn't hate my guts, I'm lucky that she's still my friend, that Chris is my friend and that they both allow Tristan to be in my life. I'm really lucky, but I could've been luckier. I could've had a family, and I could've had a happy marriage, and you can still have that. You have that. You have a husband who loves you and a baby on the way, and these feelings, they're probably not real."

"I thought so too," Lita told him. "But how do I know they aren't real? How do I know that I'm supposed to be with Matt?"

"You don't, and maybe you aren't supposed to be with him, but we don't know each other, not like people who love each other know each other. You're my friend Li, and I'd hate to ruin that, and I'd hate to ruin anything you and Matt have because I've ruined so much already."

"I should be saying you're right," Lita told him. "I should be telling you that everything you say is right, but I feel it in my gut Hunter. I feel something that I shouldn't be feeling."

"But you love Matt, you're having his baby," he reasoned.

"I am, but I can't keep ignoring what I feel," Lita told him. "That's why I told Matt in the first place, because it wasn't fair to him to lie, to say that I didn't, because Hunter, you've been everything I could've hoped for regarding this baby. You have been there for me when Matt couldn't be."

"Li, give him a chance," Hunter told her firmly. "Give him a chance to be that guy. This isn't my baby so it's a lot easier to do things because I'm not invested, but this is Matt's child, and he's probably terrified right now and that's why he's acting like this."

"Lita, I thought I heard voices," Trish said, poking her head in the room. "Oh, Hunter, I didn't…realize you were here."

"Lita and I were still talking," Hunter said, glad that Trish had walked in now and not earlier when they were in bed together.

"Mind if I join you?" Trish asked. Lita looked away and shook her head, shrugging that she didn't care. Trish sat down on the bed. "So you two…aren't…right?"

"Right," Hunter said definitively. "Just talking."

"Good," Trish said. "I wouldn't want to think that there was anything going on. Li, does he?"

"I know Trish," Hunter said. "You didn't have to come in here to protect us from ourselves. I'm fully capable of keeping it in my pants most of the time."

"Just making sure," Trish said.

"I'm not going to jump his bones," Lita said dully. "I don't think I could do that to Matt, even if he never wants me back."

"Now I know that can't be true," Trish said. "And do you know how I know that?"

"How?" Lita asked.

"He's sitting in the living room right now."


	85. Chapter 85

"So what was all that about?"

Stephanie looked at Chris from the doorway of their bedroom. He was sitting up waiting for her. She just stared at him a moment, wondering how she had even gotten this far. She was lucky, she realized now, lucky that everything had worked out in her favor. In the many different directions that her life could've gone in, she was glad that it took this particular turn. She loved her life, she loved her fiancé, and she loved her daughter, not necessarily in that order, but she just loved what she had and was so grateful to have it all.

She shrugged a little, her shoulders raising and shrugging off her robe a little bit more and revealing a little bit more of her supple skin. "I don't know, it's Hunter and Lita's problem."

"What's their problem? Why did Hunter call you in the middle of the night?" Chris asked as he beckoned her over with a finger.

Stephanie didn't budge however, content to stand in the doorway, leaning against the cool wood frame. "Hunter was sleeping with Lita."

"What!" Chris said, sitting up more in anger this time. "How could they do that to Matt!"

"I should've phrased myself better," she said, holding a hand up to discontinue his growing rant. "They were just sleeping, they weren't having sex, at least that's what Hunter told me. Lita is just…he's just…they're all just confused, it's a very confusing situation."

"Sounds like it," Chris said as he calmed down. "I don't want any of them to be hurt, they're all my friends."

"I don't want anyone hurt either and I think that all three of them are forgetting the most important piece to the puzzle which is Lita and Matt's baby. It seems like they're ignoring that fact and just thinking that it's about them and that's the saddest thing about this entire thing."

"I hate that this had to happen, I hate that it came to this," Chris told her. "Now will you please come here so that I can wallow with you in my arms instead of looking at you with no shirt on and your robe falling down?"

Stephanie laughed. "Chris, this is a serious thing, and we can't be treating it lightly."

"Stephanie, in case I'm mistaken, this is Matt and Lita's problem, along with Hunter's. Our biggest problem is whether or not we want to have an indoor or outdoor wedding. This does not involve us."

"But it does, they're our friends," she protested.

"Steph, I love you, but it's really not our problem," Chris said, getting up from the bed. "I'd put on something to wear right now, but you took my boxers."

"Want them back?" she teased, starting to pull said boxers down. Chris shook his head and walked closer to her.

"They look better on you," he told her, lightly kissing her neck. "Steph, you know I love you right?"

"Of course I know you love me," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer.

"Then you have to trust me when I say that this isn't our problem. This is their problem and we can't get involved. Nobody got involved when we weren't together and we shouldn't do the same."

Stephanie pushed past him a little and sat down on the bed heavily. "But maybe someone should have interfered on our behalf."

"What are you saying?" Chris asked as he turned back to Stephanie. She hand her arms holding her stomach and she was bent over, giving him a pretty clear view of her cleavage. He had to admire the view from here as he regarded her.

"I'm saying that we wasted valuable time!" she told him, looking up into his eyes. "We wasted so much time with me either being with Hunter or you being with Victoria…we let so much time pass when we could've been happy together. Everyone knew we should be together and yet nobody told us."

Chris sighed and walked to her, kneeling down in front of her, feeling a little weird that he was still unclothed, but Stephanie needed him so he'd have to think about that later. He took both her hands and rubbed the backs of them. She smiled despite herself and he smiled up at her, brushing her tousled hair out of her face. He was reminded about what they had done before going to bed and it didn't help that he was eye-level with her chest. But he had to focus, his fiancé was upset and he couldn't let his lust for her cloud that fact.

"Nobody told us because they knew that they couldn't force us to be something that we weren't ready to be."

"But I was ready to be with you!"

"No you weren't gorgeous," he said gently. "Neither was I. I was a wreck when you were with Hunter. I was drinking so much that I couldn't have been a good companion to you or a good father to Trist."

"But that's my fault, if I had told the truth--"

"If you had told the truth maybe things would've been different, but you don't know that," he told her simply. "We can't change the past or predict the future. At that point, you were still in love with the man, and he would've left you, and you would've resented me, and where would we be? You would be a single mother living in Connecticut and I would still be drinking because I doubt, in your extreme hurt, that you would let me see my daughter."

"But what about when you were with Victoria?"

"I was scared, I was scared about the feelings that I had for you, and you were scared too, if we had gotten together at that point, our fears would've overridden everything. We wouldn't have a good relationship like we do now because we'd have this fear hanging over our heads at every turn."

"So you're saying?"

"That we're good. That everything that happened between us strengthened us to the point where we are now. I love you Stephanie, I love every little thing about you and I love that I get to be with you day in and day out. I love that you are the mother to my daughter."

"I love you too," she told him without mincing words. "I just…I'm naturally inclined to worry."

"Why's that?"

"Because everything is so good right now," Stephanie said, giving him a soft smile, which he returned. He was happy that she thought her life was good and he was even happier that he had a hand in that. "I just…if I can focus on someone else's problems, maybe I'll never have any more problems."

"Gorgeous, I would love nothing more than to make sure that you never have another problem ever, but we both know that's unlikely. We just have to enjoy the fact that our lives are really good right now."

"It is really good," she told him. "I never thought…I never could've predicted that my life would ever be so…perfect."

"So you think I'm perfect?" Chris asked impishly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I didn't say you were perfect, I just said my life was perfect, big difference."

"Well, if I'm not perfect, then I guess Tristan is the perfect part huh?"

"She is perfect," Stephanie agreed. "Are you sure that we can't have a problem-free life?"

"I'm sure…I mean, we did just get over a pregnancy scare, that was a problem, not that another kid would be a huge problem, but you know, it just would've been…well, that's not a big deal, so whatever, I don't know what I'm saying. Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when you're sitting there in my clothes with no shirt on, I can see your tits for God's sake," Chris joked.

Stephanie giggled. "And like I can't see everything you have to offer Chris?"

"You know, it'll still be a few hours before Tristan wakes up," Chris said, licking his lips as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her neck. "Definitely enough time to continue what we started earlier."

"More?" she said innocently. "You didn't get enough of me earlier."

"Do you really think I could ever get enough of you?" he asked her, looking her up and down as he pushed her robe over her shoulders and let it fall down her back and pool itself on the bed. She leaned her hands on his shoulders as she leaned down to kiss him again.

Chris pushed her back onto the bed, and she scooted up until she was laying back against the pillows, her robe quickly forgotten about as she lay there in only Chris's boxers. Chris crawled over her until he was hovering over her. He counted his blessings as he looked down at her. He leaned down to kiss her, running his hand over her hip, over his boxers and up her ribcage. She moaned softly against his mouth, running her hands through his hair.

Just as things were starting to get heated, the phone rang. Chris groaned and looked up. "Do people think we're open 24 hours or something?"

Stephanie laughed. "You going to get that?"

"I don't want to, I'd rather concentrate on something I'm much fonder of, which would be your body," he said, leaning down to kiss her chest.

Stephanie moved away from him a little bit and sat up. She got up and walked over to where she had set down the phone near the door. Chris turned on his back and watched Stephanie answer the phone. She smiled at him and tossed her hair over her shoulder to give him a better view and he winked at her and licked his lips enticingly.

"Hello?"

"Steph, it's Hunter."

"Didn't I give you enough advice earlier?" she joked as she started walking closer to the bed and dancing around a little for Chris. Chris clapped his hands for her a little bit, softly so whoever was on the phone wouldn't hear.

"Steph, it's not that," and for the first time, Stephanie noticed that his voice sounded funny. It was just strange.

"Hunter, what's wrong?"

"How did you know something was wrong?"

"Hunter, we were married, I think I know when you sound upset, what's wrong?" Stephanie asked again as she kneeled on the bed, straddling Chris's legs. Chris grabbed her hips lightly, pulling her down so that she was sitting astride him. She leaned down so she was laying on top of him and held the phone to his ear as well.

"It's Lita, she fainted or something, just collapsed and we're at the hospital and I'm here and Jeff and Trish are here, and Matt's here, and Steph, I don't really have anyone and I'm scared for her, I was wondering…"

"Yeah, of course, we'll be there soon," Stephanie said quickly.

"Are you sure? I'm so sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your sleep or whatever."

"You're not, it's fine," Stephanie said.

"Yeah Hunter, Lita's our friend too and we'll be there," Chris added.

"Thanks you guys, thank you so much," Hunter said gratefully. "I'll see you soon."

"Uh huh," Stephanie said, hanging up the phone immediately afterwards and calling the airlines. She got off of Chris and grabbed one of their suitcases from the corner of the room, tossing it on the bed as Chris got dressed quickly, the mood having changed drastically in the last few minutes. Stephanie managed to get a flight that was leaving in an hour and a half at 5:25 am. She booked her and Chris on the flight and hung up.

"I've got the packing covered," Chris told her.

"I'll get Tristan," Stephanie said, rushing out of the bedroom and into her daughter's room. Tristan was fast asleep and Stephanie hated to have to do this and tried to do it as gently as possible. She lifted Tristan out of her crib gently, but the jostling woke the little girl.

"Mama," she said sleepily as she cuddled against Stephanie.

"Hey there sweets," Stephanie said softly, trying not to break the silence of the house. "We get to go visit Auntie Lita and Uncle Matt, and Auntie Trish and Uncle Jeff, and Uncle Hunter, doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Mama," Tristan said, her voice fading fast as she fell asleep. Stephanie laid her on her changing table, grabbing Tristan's jacket and slipping it on the little girl and putting a pair of shoes on her tiny feet. Tristan tried to kick her away, but she was too tired to do any damage. Chris showed up in the doorway, suitcase in hand, and a duffel bag in the other. He set the things down and started gathering some of Tristan's things as Stephanie carried Tristan against her.

They got to the airport and luckily for them, their flight was on-time. The flight was non-stop, something that they were grateful for because their friend was sick. It was only a two hour flight and as soon as they got their rental car, they were on their way to the hospital. Tristan had managed to sleep through most of the flight and the trip itself, so they didn't have the added bonus of a cranky baby. It was bad enough that they were both tired and cranky themselves, they didn't need another person to add to it.

They arrived at the hospital, both of them looking like warmed over death. Stephanie was just in a pair of old jeans, holes in the knees, and a large sweatshirt from her alma mater. Chris was in track pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, while Tristan, the poor thing, was still in her pajamas with her jacket over it. Chris was holding her as they burst into the hospital and into the waiting room, where they found four sleeping people.

"You guys," Stephanie said, Chris trailing behind her.

Hunter woke up and saw Stephanie and got up, hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much."

Stephanie hugged him back, "Where else could I be?"

"I just, I really needed a friend, and well…"

"Just tell me this…how is she?"


	86. Chapter 86

"Honestly, I don't know."

"Does anyone here know?" Stephanie asked, looking around at the other sleeping individuals. "I mean, have they told you anything?"

"No, nothing yet, I don't know why, she's been there for a while now. They said they were just monitoring her and when they got a clearer picture they would come and tell us, but nothing yet."

"Are you okay?" Stephanie asked softly, so only Hunter would hear. She noticed that he looked a little distressed.

"Yeah, I mean, if you should be checking on anyone, you should be checking on Matt, Lita's his wife after all," Hunter answered quickly.

"Why don't we go get a cup of coffee and maybe take a walk outside?" Stephanie suggested, knowing that Hunter felt pretty uncomfortable as it is. Hunter looked around and nodded, Stephanie nodding with him to reassure him. She turned to Chris, who was still holding the sleeping Tristan. "Chris, we're going to hunt down some coffee and then take a walk."

"Go ahead," Chris said with a sympathetic smile. He watched them walk away and sat down next to Trish, gently nudging her with his shoulder. She stirred and woke up, taking a deep breath like she hadn't breathed in a while. She looked up at Chris with groggy eyes and stretched her arms above her, almost hitting Jeff in the nose.

"When did you get here?" Trish whispered, her voice still laced with sleep.

"A few minutes ago," Chris informed her, shifting Tristan in his arms.

Trish took notice of the little girl and looked up at Chris, "Oh, I'm sorry, you guys didn't have to come, you have Tristan and everything, you didn't' have to come."

"We wanted to, don't worry," Chris answered, Tristan stirring in his arms. She opened her eyes and looked around, totally confused as to where she was. She leaned her head back and saw Chris, but that didn't stop her from starting to cry. "Oh hey there sweetheart, come on, it's not so bad."

"Oh, poor thing, are you sure you don't want to take her out of here, it can be comfortable," Trish sympathized. She grabbed Tristan's hand, who by now had buried her face into Chris's jacket and was rubbing her teary eyes against it, getting snot and tears embedded in the material.

"We're good," Chris said, lifting Tristan up to rest her head on his shoulder. "She's just tired and confused."

"Dadadadadada," she sung softly, slurring her words together so they sounded like one long word. Her words were teary though and she wrapped her arms over Chris's shoulders, sniffling every now and then.

"Shh, shh," Chris whispered as Matt and Jeff started to stir.

"Hey Chris," Jeff said first. "When did you get here?"

"A little while ago, hey Matt, how're you doing?" Matt didn't answer, but the look on his face said it all. It wasn't five minutes before the doctor came over to the small group. Matt perked up, looking at the doctor.

"You're here for Lita right?"

"That's right," Jeff spoke up, "How is she?"

"She's going to be fine, we just wanted to monitor her for a while. She was dehydrated severely, and with her being pregnant it threw her whole body completely out of whack. The baby is going to be fine as well, but she's going to have stay here for at least the rest of the day to monitor how she's doing. We don't want her to get dehydrated again so we just want to make sure. She needs to stay out of the sun though because that can cause her to get dehydrated again. She's asleep right now, but if you want to go see her, you can go ahead, but she does need her rest so if you wait a couple of hours, it might be better for her."

Matt nodded, then spoke, his voice hoarse and cracked, "Thank you doctor."

The doctor left with a nod and Matt sat back, his head hitting the wall behind him. Chris, Trish, and Jeff just looked at him, covering their own relief, choosing instead to focus on Matt. Tristan squirmed in his arms and he put her down between his legs as she tried to get her jacket off, pulling at the buttons in frustration, unaware that they were in a serious situation. She whined at Chris, looking at him, asking for help with her eyes.

"Beautiful, you're in your pajamas, you should keep your jacket on," Chris said gently, leaning down so his voice was soft.

"No," Tristan said sternly, but then smiled. "Dada."

Chris rolled his eyes, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. He unbuttoned her jacket deftly and helped her out of it. "There you go beautiful."

Tristan smiled and walked over to Trish, patting her on the knee, "Hi."

"Hey there," Trish said. Tristan gave her a smile before walking over to Jeff.

"Hi," she said to him too, but didn't linger, going over to Matt, and giving him another, "Hi," coupled with a bright smile.

"Hi," Matt said to the little girl.

"Toy?"

"No, I don't have a toy, sorry," Matt said as Tristan pursed her lips a little.

Chris got up and kneeled behind Tristan, trying to take her gently away from Matt. "Hey sweetie, why don't we leave Uncle Matt alone right now? He's really tired and we shouldn't bother him."

"It's cool Chris," Matt said, smiling at Tristan. "Do you mind if we go for a little walk?"

"Do you want to see Lita?"

"She needs her rest, I can wait a little longer," Matt said. "Besides, I'd really like to talk to you."

"Yeah, sure," Chris said, standing up and letting Tristan take his hand. "Let's go."

Matt nodded and stood up from his seat, his joints cracking from having been sitting down for so long. They walked slowly out of the hospital into a courtyard area, only going as fast as Tristan could walk, and she was a pretty slow walker. Tristan leaned her head on Chris's leg, signaling to him she wanted to stop and he stood there, watching Matt run his hands through his hair, trying to do something with his hands that were just itching to run to his wife.

"When…" Matt cleared his throat and Chris patiently waited for him to continue, letting Tristan play with his hand and the ring he wore on it. "When you knew about Tristan…but before Stephanie let the truth out, did it feel like…did it feel like your heart was being ripped from your chest?"

Chris sighed, he really didn't like thinking about that period in his life. He was so far removed from it that it seemed like it had all been a dream. Some surreal part of his life that he didn't really live. "It was like…it wasn't living really. I just kind of went through the motions, as if my soul had left my body and I was an empty shell that just walked around and did the things that were expected of me."

"She's so beautiful," Matt said wistfully, looking down at Tristan, who by now was bored with Chris's hand and was a few steps away, slamming her hands down on a stone bench.

"Thanks," Chris said with a slight smile. "Your baby is fine Matt, the doctor said so."

"I know," he answered. "How do you deal with it, how do you deal with her day in and day out? I mean, it had to be hard when you and Stephanie weren't together…"

"We managed," Chris said, "We both love Tristan and that's the important thing here. You and Lita, you don't matter, well you do matter of course, but you don't matter as much as your child. You'll learn, don't worry."

"She changed your life huh?"

"Yeah, she did," Chris answered with a serene smile on his face. "It changes you man, you have no idea how much it changes your life. She's like…she's my everything. I love her so much that if anything ever happened to her, I'd die." Chris looked at Tristan, who was picking flowers off the bush. "Hey you, what are you doing?"

"Dada," Tristan said, glancing back at him with a giggle.

"Don't touch that," Chris said, scolding her gently. Matt went and sat on the bench while Chris tended to Tristan. Tristan tried to hand Chris the flower and he took it and lifted her to sit on his lap as he took a seat next to Matt. She didn't want to do that and moved so she was standing in between the two men.

She looked to Matt, leaning her back against her Daddy and smiled at him, "Hi."

"Hey there," Matt said, turning to her. "You're awfully awake."

"She's a morning person," Chris said.

Tristan leaned her head back and looked at her daddy, "Doggie?"

"Oh yeah, here you go beautiful," Chris said, reaching into his pocket where he had stuffed her dog when getting out of the car, knowing that she would eventually want it. She took it gratefully and turned to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you beautiful."

"Tank-tank," she responded, her newest version of the word 'thank.'

"You're so goddamn lucky," Matt told his friend. "How do you do it? How do you just live with it? I don't get it. I want this baby, I want it more than I've ever wanted anything, but I don't know how to deal with it, or with Lita, and I feel like I'm losing her and my child. Hell, I almost did lose my child."

"Don't beat yourself up over that Matt, crap like that happens and we're just not prepared for it, but she's fine. And you'll deal with this baby. Once those fatherly feelings set in, then you know what to do. You'll know how to do this. So you screwed up so far, that doesn't mean you're going to screw up forever, trust me, you'll change."

"When though? When did it happen for you?"

"The first time I got to hold my daughter," Chris said, letting Tristan sit down on the bench, his hand on her legs so she wouldn't get any ideas of jumping right off the bench and hurting herself. She was cuddling with her stuffed dog. "It was the most…God, there's no words to describe that moment man, when you see something that you made, that will love you despite your faults. She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen in my entire life. She was all scrunched and perfect and she was mine…well, she wasn't exactly mine, I had just signed away the rights to her, but you get the point. But that moment was just…it hit me like a ton of bricks that this little girl needed me, and that's what killed me then, the fact that she needed me and I couldn't be there for her."

"Must be great to know that you love someone that much."

"It is."

"You didn't answer my thing about losing Lita," Matt pointed out.

"I don't know what's going to happen there, and I'm not even going to attempt to make a guess about it," Chris told the other man. "That's something that you have to figure out on your own."

"I can't believe she would have feelings for that man," Matt said bitterly.

"I know this won't make you feel better," Chris said uneasily, "but he's not that bad, he's actually a really nice guy once you get to know him."

"Oh yeah, tell me that after you've been in my situation," Matt snapped.

"Are you kidding me with this man? You think you're the only one who's ever had problems. My fiancée kept my daughter from me and wanted another man to raise it, going so far as to draw up papers saying that I would have no contact with my daughter. Do you know how that feels? Lita has never kept you from being around her, ever, you haven't had to watch another man believe that the baby he was holding was his own and not yours, don't you dare act like you're the only one who's gone through a hard time. I almost lost my daughter too, and maybe it wasn't the same kind of loss as the one you almost faced, but let me tell you, it's a million times worse seeing your daughter and never getting to love her the way you want to."

"I'm sorry," Matt mumbled. "I know you've been through a lot, I just…I forget because you seem so happy now."

"I am happy, but I worked hard to get here, I went through a lot of shit to get here. I almost drank myself to death okay, I did a helluva lot to get where I am today."

"I'm afraid to keep her and I'm afraid to let her go," Matt said. "But I feel like she might be better off if I let her go."

"You have to figure that out yourself," Chris said. "I can't help you, and neither can Lita or Jeff or Trish. It's you Matt, you have to decide where you want your life to go."

"Thanks," Matt said, getting up, "I think I'm going to take a little time to think by myself, thanks for talking to me."

"Good luck," parted Chris. He sat on the bench a moment, looking down at Tristan who had tipped over to lean her head against his leg. He poked her in the tummy and she giggled to him. "You're still in your pajamas."

"Yeah," Tristan said, looking up at him adoringly. It was looks like that, that Chris lived for. He knew Matt would get it. Once he saw his baby, once he looked into their eyes, he'd get it. He remembered the first time he held Tristan, a night that he felt would be the last time he held her too.

"You want to change and get out of that?"

"Yeah," she said, but made no attempt to move. Chris quickly maneuvered her into his arms so she didn't hit her head on the bench.

"Are you just going to get carried all day?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, then frowned, "No."

"Indecisive, just like mommy," Chris joked.

"Mama!" Tristan said in delight, looking around like she would be able to see Stephanie just because she called her. When her head was turned to the side, Chris caught her cheek for a kiss. She squinted up at him and gave him a weird, toothy look. He carried her off to the car, making silly faces at her the entire way.

He didn't know that Matt had been observing him. Matt sighed, and closed his eyes. He wanted that so desperately and yet he was so scared that he was going to screw it up, or that he wouldn't get it at all. He was so jealous of what Chris had, especially with Tristan.

He didn't think he'd make a good father.


	87. Chapter 87

A/N: I don't like this chapter, but it's out there and I'm thinking it's going to get better soon. :P

While Chris and Matt had been having their talk, there were two other people in another part of the hospital who were about to embark upon their own conversation. Stephanie found the cafeteria and was grateful to find a working coffee machine. She went over to it anxiously, grabbing her wallet and taking out a couple dollars. She stuck the cup under the thing and pressed the button.

"Sorry, I haven't had a cup yet," Stephanie said, glancing over at Hunter. "Have you had a cup yet?"

"No."

"Let me get you one too, my treat," Stephanie said, grabbing a couple more dollars.

"Steph, it's okay, I don't need any."

"Oh, I insist," Stephanie said, handing him the cup she had just gotten and getting another for herself. "You look like you could use a good cup of coffee…or you know, just a cup of coffee."

"Thanks," he said, taking a sip and wincing. "Why is hospital coffee so gross? I remember when you had Tristan, I came down for a cup of coffee and I had to throw it out it was so bad. But I wanted to stay awake so I could see you."

Stephanie laughed softly. "Can you believe that was over a year ago? I can't believe it was so long ago, it still feels like it just happened."

"Yeah," he chuckled, then looked down at his coffee. "I remember that day so well, I was rushing to get to you, you have no idea. I think I yelled at, at least, two or three people in the airport, luckily I'm intimidating so they accommodated me, but no matter how fast I went, it was never fast enough to get to you."

"I'm glad you were there," Stephanie told him as she gestured towards one of the tables. She sat down, the bottom of the chair scraping across the cold, linoleum floor. She watched as he sat down. "I don't think I could've done it on my own."

"You're strong, you would've done it," Hunter told her. "I just hope Lita is the same way, you know. I worry about her too."

"So do I," Stephanie said. "I care about those people up there, Chris and Tristan obviously, but the others too. When…when Chris was in a bad way, they were there for him, and I'll never forget that. Chris had nobody, but I'm glad that he had them to fall back on until you know…I came to my senses."

"Chris is a good guy, they're all good people, which makes me being here weird."

"You're not a bad person Hunter, you never have been, you did a bad thing, true, but you're not a bad person."

"You're only saying that because we've gotten over everything."

She laughed softly, "True, that's very true, but still…Hunter, I never really hated you, not like true hate. I was just so upset with you, with what you did, but I loved you enough to get back with you because you are a good person. Lita can see that."

Hunter sighed and looked up at Stephanie for a brief moment. He brought the hot coffee to his lips and took a sip, the warm liquid flowing down his throat and warming his body. This situation with Lita was by far the strangest thing to happen to him. Sure, he could say that the whole entire Tristan debacle was strange, but he almost saw it coming in a way. But Lita, LITA, of all people falling for him, he have put bets on the Sun exploding before he thought Lita would fall for him.

"You're thinking about how this entire thing came to be huh?" Stephanie said. Hunter's head snapped up and he looked at her with wide eyes. "We were married Hunter, I know you. I know that's what you're thinking about."

"When I saw her collapse, man, I don't know, I don't think anything has frightened me that much," Hunter confessed.

"What happened exactly?"

_Lita looked at Hunter and bit at her lip a little, something that Hunter had never seen her do. He shrugged silently and Lita knew that she was going to have to talk to Matt. She and Hunter weren't a couple, they hadn't cheated, but she felt like this was going to be a difficult decision. She was tired though, and she was still a little hungry and a little light-headed, probably from all the stress._

"_I guess it would be best if I talked to him," Lita said softly._

"_Yeah, it would, we'll stay in here," Trish said. "Right Hunter?"_

"_Yeah, sure if you want us, we'll be right in here," Hunter said._

"_Okay…" she paused. "No, please come out there with me, both of you. I don't think that I can do this alone, I don't think that I _want _to do this alone."_

"_Are you sure Li?" Hunter asked._

_She nodded. The two other people stood and gave her a reassuring look. She opened the door and walked down the short hallway to Jeff's living room. Matt looked up and saw her, and a small smile graced his face. It dissipated moments later when he saw Hunter appear from behind her. Lita gave him a look, and he knew that look all too well, it meant to keep your mouth shut for now. Matt complied and bit his tongue._

"_I didn't think you were going to come," Lita said._

"_I didn't want to, but you know, I'm…I needed to, I can't just stay away from you Li," Matt said, standing up. _

"_I'm glad you did, there's a lot to be said."_

"_What's that jackass doing here?" Matt said, no longer able to just hold everything in. "And coming from your bedroom?"_

"_Matt, please."_

"_I'm sorry Li, I can't, I need to know, I mean, come on, this guy cheated on his wife for God's sakes, he's not exactly Mr. Righteous over here. I've never done that to anyone I've been with and yet you want this asshole."_

"_I never said that I wanted that Matt. You just love to jump to conclusions about things you don't know. Do you know how hard it was for me to say what I had to say to you? I never wanted to hurt you, you have to believe that. I love you, but I just can't ignore these feelings."_

_"While I'm sitting at home by myself? And now I find out the you're here with him! It's like you're trying to hurt me aren't you?"_

_"Why would I try to hurt you?"_

"_That's what I'm trying to figure out."_

"_That's why I told you this Matt, I didn't want to keep it from you." _

"_Well, gee, thanks, but it really didn't help."_

"_Well, what do you want me to do?"_

"_I'd like it if you would just tell me the truth."_

_Lita closed her eyes, as if deep in thought. Hunter felt extremely uncomfortable with the situation at hand. It was one thing to know that Lita had feelings for him, but it was another thing entirely to watch her fight with her husband. And all this is over him. He couldn't believe that he was breaking up another marriage. He had to intervene._

"_Look Matt, there's nothing going on between me and Lita. I've been through a divorce, and I don't wish that on anyone else."_

"_Why don't you stay out of this!"_

"_Don't yell at him!" Lita yelled at him. "He didn't do anything."_

"_Like hell he didn't," Matt said. "He's responsible for this isn't he?"_

"_NO! No, he's not," Lita said, lowering her voice. _

_Then it happened, and it was so out of the blue that nobody even thought to catch her. Lita just collapsed like that, right onto the floor. Her eyes had closed momentarily, she swayed for a few moments and then she was on the ground with people rushing to her as Hunter went straight for the phone to call an ambulance to come pick her up. _

"Stress, it's killer," Stephanie mumbled to herself. "It's a wonder I didn't go through the same thing."

"It's probably because she wasn't eating either," Hunter said. "I think the food we ate that night was the first good meal she had had in a while."

"She'll be okay Hunter, I'm sure of it," Stephanie said, unaware that news had already come on Lita's condition. Stephanie reached across the table to grasp Hunter's hand. "But on another note, how do you feel about Lita?"

"I don't know," Hunter replied honestly. "I like her a lot and if she weren't married I could see myself with her, but as it is…she's married Steph. I don't want to do this again, I don't want to cause something to destruct again."

"You can't help who you have feelings for, I know this more than most. You can't help it if you fall for Lita Hunter, and it's okay to admit to me, I'm not going to judge you and I'm not going to condemn you."

He sighed. "The more time I spend with her, the cooler she gets you know. And I know that we're total opposites and she is better suited with Matt, but I don't know, she's just really fun to hang around. But I can't, I can't let myself get into this situation again. Lita and Matt, and especially their baby don't deserve it."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, it's not my place," Stephanie said. "But you have friends who care about you, remember that."

"Thanks Steph, you know, I think we have a better relationship now that we're friends than we ever did while we were married," he chuckled mirthlessly.

"I think that too," Stephanie laughed, but hers was more genuine. But then she wasn't in this situation. "Do you want to go back up?"

"No, I think I'd rather stay here for a while, it was getting a little too…intense for me up there."

"Okay," she said, taking some more sips of her coffee. "No rush or anything."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Stephanie saw Chris enter the cafeteria with Tristan in his arms, looking around for something. She figured it was her when his eyes found her and stopped roaming around the room. He walked over, Tristan bouncing happily as she reached her arms for Stephanie. Stephanie took the little girl in her arms as Chris went to get a coffee of his own. When he returned he set the paper cup down and sat next to Stephanie.

"God, that stuff tastes like warmed over crap," Chris said, glaring at the cup as if to annihilate it.

"We were talking about that," Stephanie said. "So?"

"Lita's going to be okay, she's resting now, it was because of stress and not eating and all of that. So yeah, that's what happened."

"So my fault probably," Hunter said.

"Not your fault, it's not your fault," Chris said. "Where would you get that idea? You weren't the one not putting food in her mouth, or not getting her to drink water. Nobody is really to blame, it's just a really bad situation."

"That I helped in."

"Hunter's got the pity party going on," Stephanie informed her fiancé.

"Hi!" Tristan said brightly to Hunter. She waved her little hand and Hunter couldn't help but smile.

"Hey cutie," Hunter said, "Where've you been?"

"Dada," Tristan answered, looking over at Chris.

"We went to get her changed for the day," Chris informed them. "She was tired of walking around in her pajamas, she needs to feel like the day is new and that she can go conquer it."

"At least someone does," Hunter said.

"Why don't you go up and check on her or something," Chris suggested, "I mean, you were there for her and she would probably like to see you."

"Not now," Hunter said. "Matt's probably up there, and I don't want to get into thing with him right now, or ever actually. I mean, Li's his wife, his wife, and you know, I just…I don't want to go down that road again. I'm going to take a walk you guys, thanks for coming and keeping me company."

"No problem," Stephanie said as she watched Hunter walk off.

"Seems today is a day for walking alone, Matt did the same thing when I was talking to him," Chris told Stephanie.

"I think Hunter returns Lita's feelings," Stephanie confessed to Chris. "I think he doesn't want to screw up Matt and Lita more, but I think he feels something for her."

"Well, you can't choose who you want, I just hope they figure it out."


	88. Chapter 88

A/N: I know, I know, it's been forever since I updated this story, but I really hated the direction that I took with it, so I had to reconcile myself with that, hopefully writing this will open the floodgates to where I really want to take this story, which is to a conclusion, finally! lol

* * *

"We are planning our wedding."

"We are?" Stephanie asked as she looked up at Chris. "When did you decide this exactly?"

"I'm sick and tired of the pity party that everyone is having around us, and I'm taking action. I don't care what people are doing, or who they're doing, or who's in love with whom, I want to marry you, and that's what I'm going to do," he declared.

"Interesting," Stephanie said. "So you're going to plan our entire wedding?"

"With your help of course," he said, coming over and giving her a kiss. "I just think that if we inject a little happiness into the scenario than all existing parties can calm down. I'm tired of living in the crossfire between Hunter and Matt. I just wish Lita would choose or something."

"You really think it's that easy, you think that she chooses and then all bridges are burned completely?"

"Yes, I think it should be that easy."

"But it isn't."

"I know this," he told her, kneeling next to her chair. "I know this firsthand."

"It's hard to leave someone that you loved, it really is, if that's what she chooses, I don't know that she doesn't love him, him being Hunter. I mean, I don't know…you're right, we shouldn't care. _We're_ getting married, I don't want to care about that."

"That's the spirit!" Chris exclaimed. "You know what, we should get married right now. We're in Los Angeles, we could drive to Vegas tonight, and then surprise everyone when we got back."

"No," she said. "I'm doing it right this time."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," he shrugged, "you'll have to excuse my ignorance, I forgot that you had been married before in a less-than-stellar wedding."

"Yeah, and I'm not going through that again," she told him. "I want a nice wedding, in the summer maybe, outdoors, in a garden…"

"Okay, we're getting a little girly here," he told her, but she could see how happy he was to be discussing their wedding. "But whatever you want, I'll back you up on it, unless it's something really bad or outrageous."

"What would you consider to be bad or outrageous?" she asked.

"I don't know, you know me, you can tell what I like and don't like," he told her. "I just want you to have a great wedding this time, not something that you have to be ashamed of, got it?"

"Got it," she told him, leaning over to kiss him.

"No!" Tristan said as she pushed Chris away from Stephanie.

Chris looked down at her and laughed, "Wow, possessive one, isn't she?"

"I think she just likes her mother," a new voice said.

Chris and Stephanie looked up to see that it was Lita, who had been released from the hospital earlier that week after being bedridden for a couple of days on doctor's orders. Stephanie and Chris both smiled softly at her, wondering what she wanted, not that they were going to be rude or flippant about it. Lita sat down with them and she gazed adoringly at Tristan.

"Hey Li, how are you feeling?"

"Better now that I can go outside and I'm not stuck in bed," she joked lightly. Tristan watched her intently. "Hey Trist, how are you?"

Lita had taken a sort of new appreciation for the children around her. She had come close, it seemed, to losing her own child, and that had scared her. She wanted someone like Tristan, a person who would love her unconditionally, and whom she could love the same way. She didn't want to lose that, so she had to try for her baby's sake to get herself out of this mess. What that entailed was being happy with the choices that she had made and was going to make.

"Hi," Tristan returned.

"You're looking beautiful today."

"Say thank you," Stephanie prompted her daughter.

"Tank-tank," Tristan said obediently before getting lost in the toys sitting in front of her on the table. She leaned down, practically on her stomach on top of the table, playing with her toys and pushing them all around, making a mess.

Lita sighed and Chris looked over at Stephanie. She took a deep breath and arched an eyebrow to Chris. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Lita's problems, but it seemed that's what their life had become lately. She knew that there was a lot of confusion about feelings right now, but she just didn't see why she and Chris had to be in the middle of it when it wasn't really their problem. Stephanie and Chris had talked privately to Trish and Jeff, and they were just as sick and tired of the entire situation, but they couldn't just leave it alone because they were all involved now.

Stephanie knew she had to say something, "You okay, Li? Like really okay?"

Lita looked up gratefully, like she had really wanted to talk about it, but didn't want to impose on them or anything. "Matt and I talked."

"You did?" Chris asked. "What about?"

"Us," she said bluntly. "I mean, not…intensively, you know, we kind of skirted around the topic, but at least we talked."

"That's good…that's progress," Stephanie told her.

"Yeah, you'd think that," she said, and both Chris and Stephanie knew that there was a but to that sentence, so they didn't say anything. Not a moment later, "but things aren't that good with us. He left."

"Wait, he left _you_?" Chris asked.

"Not exactly, he left the house," Lita explained. "He said that he thought the best thing for the both of us right now was to spend some time apart. He said that we weren't breaking up, but that's kind of what it feels like at this point. I know that I shouldn't read too much into this, but I can't help it."

"This could be good though," Stephanie responded. "It could be just what you guys need, and just because you aren't living together doesn't mean that you're going to get divorced or anything. It just means that you need to think about where you're going with this relationship. You two can start slow again, dates here and there…"

"But he's the father of my child," Lita said. "How can I just go back to square one when we're having a kid together?"

"Well, your kid is a separate entity," Chris shrugged. "You can still both be parents and still be trying to figure out where you stand."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Lita said regretfully. "It was supposed to be that dream, you know, the ones you always have with the unconditional love and support, the good times rolling all the time."

Stephanie guffawed, "Show me someone who has that and I'll show you someone who's delusional. You don't just get that all the time, and where's the fun in that anyways? You have to work for what you want, plain and simple. And if you and Matt are both willing to work, than you'll be fine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…he thinks that I should see what's going on with me and Hunter."

"Wait, whoa, _Matt _told you to pursue something with Hunter?" Chris asked incredulously, wondering if his friend had become a pod person. He just couldn't see Matt letting his wife go out with another man.

"Yeah, I was just as surprised as you were," Lita said. "I guess…maybe that's a good thing, that's why I wanted to talk to you guys, because you're friends with Hunter, and you know him."

"But we don't know how you feel," Stephanie said, suddenly feeling a little bit uncomfortable with this conversation. Maybe she and Chris really should've hopped in the car and driven to Vegas to get married. It would mean that she wouldn't be having this incredibly stilted conversation with a married woman who potentially wanted to date her ex-husband.

"Well, you were in love with him, so you must know of his better qualities."

"Well…yeah, I do," Stephanie said, giving her a weak smile. "You can't possibly want me to actually list them, do you?"

"It'd help," Lita said pathetically.

"Lita, I don't know what to say," Stephanie said, feeling Chris's eyes burning into her. This is why it was uncomfortable. She had loved Hunter, yes, but she wasn't with him anymore, and she didn't love him anymore. She loved Chris and anything that she had felt for Hunter had dissipated, and she didn't feel like revisiting it.

"Oh, that's okay, I was just, you know…"

"Confused, I've been there," Stephanie said, glad to talk about something she could actually relate with. "You just have to go with what you know is right. I knew that keeping Trist from Chris wasn't right, and so I didn't, you have to do what's right for you, I can't stress that enough."

"Then I think I want to see what's what with Hunter," she admitted. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"It makes you someone who knows not to string someone along," Stephanie said.

"Thanks you guys," Lita said, getting up. Chris took a breath of relief and Stephanie leaned back in her chair.

"That was rough," Stephanie said, folding her arms in front of her. "I hate this entire thing. And how weird would it be for Hunter and Lita to be together and have her pregnant with Matt's baby?"

"We live in a soap opera," Chris jokingly lamented. "That's the only way to explain this entire thing, we live in a soap opera."

"It sure feels like it right now," she said. "Reminds me of how lucky I am."

"Yeah, I am quite the catch," he said, popping his collar.

"Yeah, whatever, you knocked me up, don't get on your high horse."

"So you would've gotten with whatever guy as long as he had been the one to knock you up?"

"Now you're catching on," she winked.

"Oh, I see how it is now, you just want Trist to have a mother and a father. You just want everything to be perfect and ideal."

"I do want to get married in a garden. In spring," she told him dreamily. "In fact, you know, we could just go get married right now, just get it over with."

"No, I'm doing it right, like you said, in front of God, and in front of everyone I know. I did not go through hell for you to just marry you in some dinky little chapel with Elvis presiding over the proceedings and some 80-year-old woman as our witness."

"Romantic," she said, pretending to be enamored by the visual. She groaned a second later when Hunter walked over. "I swear, we must have tattoos on our faces that say 'Come to us for advice!' on them, it's the only explanation."

"Well, I know your face is clear," he said, pretending to remove a smudge, "oh wait, no, that's permanent, sorry." She laughed at him and watched as Hunter sat down. He looked a little perplexed and Chris took the lead this time. "Looks like you've got a lot on your mind."

"Lita just asked me out," Hunter said, explaining why he had that look on his face.

"A date?"

"From the way she asked me, I'm guessing it was a date."

"Yeah, she kind of told us," Chris said. "And how do you feel about this?" he asked, playing psychiatrist because what else did he have to do, it wasn't like he had a wedding to plan or a daughter to take care of, no, he was just always available for his friends, that's all he was right now.

"Why?" he asked. "She wouldn't even explain it to me, she just kind of asked me out, like she was available or something…is she available?" He couldn't quite keep the hopefulness out of his voice with that one. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there. Chris and Stephanie shared a little look between them, both knowing exactly what it as about.

"Well, she and Matt are kind of spending time apart," Chris said, and leaving it at that. "Did you agree to go to with her?"

"Well…yeah," he said, shrugging like it was no big deal, but she was a married woman, and so it was a rather sticky situation. "I mean, I wasn't going to turn her down, who knows what that would've done."

"Oh yeah, she would've been so torn up," Chris said sarcastically. "This is very dangerous territory you know."

"I know, that's why I was hesitant, but…does Matt know?"

"You should talk to Lita about that," Chris said.

"I think I will," Hunter said, nodding to himself. "Thanks."

"That's us, endless advice," Chris said as Hunter got up and walked away. "I'm really sick of this."

"Me too," Stephanie said with a certain amount of exasperation. "Let's get married in a month."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sick of this, I want something else to think about, so let's just do it, we can get a great wedding together in a month."

"People are going to think that I got you pregnant, I'm going to ruin your virtue," he joked.

"Yeah, you already shattered that to pieces," Stephanie said. "So what do you say? Are you in?"

"In, gorgeous? I'm so fucking in, you can't even see me."


	89. Chapter 89

A/N: Just wanted to thank you guys for the reviews, plus I have a new story called "Twilight on a Broken Star," so go check that out and leave a review. :)

* * *

"So Chris and I have decided to get married in a month."

"A month?" Linda asked incredulously. "That's it. Don't you think that you should wait a little more time? Do you honestly think that you can get a wedding together in a month?"

"Yes, I do," she said to her mom. "Besides, it's what Chris and I want. We're just…we're sick of everyone else with their problems. They come to us, Mom, everyone comes to us like we're just advice-givers or psychiatrists or something, and it's really annoying. We want to focus in on us and our family, and so we want this."

"You will be sending out invitations though, right?" Linda asked. "You're not just going to be calling people up on the phone and inviting them to something as important as your wedding, please tell me it's more organized than that."

"Mom," she whined, "of course we're going to send out invitations. Those were the first things that we got together, and they were sent out yesterday. Everyone should be getting them shortly."

"Well, you do seem on top of things."

"Do you really think I wouldn't be?" Stephanie asked. "I just wanted to let you know because I am going to be needing a dress, and I wanted your help with that."

"Yeah?" Linda asked happily.

"Yeah, I mean, I know we had our differences over Chris and everything, but I love you, and you're my mom, and this is going to be the last wedding I ever have, I know it, so I want to make sure that this dress is perfect."

"I'd love to help you out."

"Great, I've got to go though, Mom, Tristan is going to wake up from her nap shortly."

"Okay, love you sweetie."

"Love you too, Mom, bye," Stephanie said as she hung up the phone. Chris walked by the kitchen just as she put the phone back in the cradle and pivoted to walk inside. He looked at her expectantly. "Did you tell your parents?"

"I told my mom, she should be telling my dad," Stephanie said. "How did it go with your parents?"

"They're extremely excited about it," Chris said. "Well, my mom is, I don't really know about my dad since she didn't let him get a word in edgewise, but he did say congratulations. They were a little surprised that it was going to be in a month, but they don't care as long as I do get married."

"So they really want you married?"

"Maybe, I don't know, maybe that was what my mother was screeching about when she was talking to me," Chris chuckled. "It feels good though, to do all this planning, I really feel that we're finally focusing in on ourselves rather than our friend's problems. We should just let them do whatever the hell that they want."

She laughed and hugged him. "Chris, you can't just ignore what's going on."

"Like hell I can't," he said. "I just want to focus completely on our wedding, that's it nothing else."

"Okay, if you insist."

"Our friends can handle their own love lives."

---

Hunter felt very uncomfortable as he drove to Lita's home. Not only because he was going out on a "date" with her, or something, but also because he had to pick her up in a house that she had shared with her husband. It was like…it felt a little bit wrong to him. The problem was that he really liked Lita, so it made it difficult to just detach himself from the situation. When she had asked him out on a date, he had been very hesitant to accept for the obvious reasons, but he recognized the courage that went behind asking him out, so he had reluctantly said yes.

He pulled up to her house, a ranch-style one, kind of out of the way, off the beaten path so to speak. He parked on the gravelly road and sat in his car for a few minutes wondering just what the hell he was doing here. He couldn't fall for Lita; that was just out of the question entirely. But…what if the same thing that happened with Chris and Stephanie happened with him and Lita? Stephanie had been in love with Chris, Hunter knew this. Once it was over and he had the gift of hindsight, he had seen all the little things that suggested that Stephanie had been in love with Chris all along.

The same thing could be true here. Sometimes you just fall for the wrong person at the wrong time. Sometimes that situation can just escalate and you find yourself married to the wrong person when the right person was right there all the time. You go through life looking for that right person, and sometimes, you just think that you know who it is, but it's not them, it's that person who's been off to the side, the one you never regarded as a potential love interest.

He got out of the car and walked up to her front door. Then it hit him that she was actually pregnant too. How would he even begin to explain that one? What if he and Lita got married or something, the kid would hate him for being part of the reason his parents broke up. Okay, now he was really over-thinking things. He and Lita hadn't even been out yet. This might not even be a real date. It could just be two friends going and hanging out.

He finally rang the doorbell about thirteen minutes after he had actually pulled up to her house. He hoped that she hadn't been sitting at the window looking out at him like he was some kind of idiot. The door opened and then all ideas of this not being a date flew out the window. She was dressed beautifully, and he had never seen her look this good. Lita wasn't one to wear dresses all the time, or much of the time really, but damn, when she put on a dress, she put _on_ a dress. She was wearing a deep red dress that went to mid-thigh that had a sheer black slip over it. It hugged all her curves in just the right places, and he could see the small bulge of her stomach and he gulped. She was starting to show.

"Hey, I was wondering when you were going to get here," she said jokingly.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"Not a problem, are those for me?" she asked, looking down at the box of chocolates in his hand. Yes, Hunter could be a gentleman every now and again. He figured that food would be his best bet when he was thinking of what to bring to her. She was eating for two after all, so he figured this was the safest bet.

"Yeah," he said, awkwardly thrusting the box towards her.

"That's really sweet of you," she said, putting it on the table next to the door, "I'm definitely going to be eating those later."

"So…should we go?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Absolutely," she said, linking her arm with his. He gulped a little bit as he walked her out to the car, being a gentleman and opening the door for her.

"So you said that you'd show me to the place."

"Yeah, I'll show you, don't worry."

The car trip to the restaurant mostly consisted of her giving directions to the restaurant. There was no deep talk, no nothing, just directions. Still, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, not in the least. In fact, it felt very comfortable and natural and as she went ahead and switched the station on his radio, it almost felt…like they had been doing this for a very long time, which was a strange sensation for the both of them.

"So," Lita said, when they had sat down and ordered their food, "I know that this is strange, and I'm sorry you were dragged into the middle of it."

"You didn't drag me, I kind of came willingly."

"Still," she said, "I just…don't want this to be weird for you."

"It's going to be weird, Li, I mean, there's so many other factors at work here. Plus, this feels…you know what happened between me and Stephanie, so you know that things kind of got out of hand with that."

"I know," she said. "If you feel uncomfortable about any of this, then I want you to tell me, and we'll leave it at that. I'm just the kind of person that doesn't want to go through life thinking about what could've been. I've always been the type to just go out there and get what I want."

"I know the feeling, I'm the same type of person."

"Yeah, so you get it then, you get this urge to just seize the day, I guess," she laughed. "I just don't want you at any point to feel like you're having an affair with me. Matt and I…well, it's complicated, but I don't want you to feel like you're doing something wrong."

"It's just that you're still married to him."

"Well, we're separated right now." She sighed here, and looked down. "I just don't think Matt and I are on the same plane right now. I mean, I don't even know what I mean." She covered her face with her hands and gave a pathetic laugh to speak on her pathetic life.

"Hey, are you okay?' he asked, taking one of her hands off her face and holding it in his.

"No, I'm fine, really," she said, looking at him. "I'm just…I don't even recognize myself anymore."

"We all evolve."

"It's the baby, I'm sure, I've never been so emotional," Lita said. "But now I feel like every little thing is going to set me off."

"It can't be easy being pregnant."

"It's a strange feeling," she admitted. "Thanks for being there for me though. You don't know how much I appreciate it. I feel like everyone thinks I'm crazy because I don't think that I want to be with my husband even though we haven't even been married a year."

"Well, it could be worse, you could've only been married for like a day," he said, "and you don't know what's going to happen with you guys, you're already just assuming that you're going to get a divorce, and you can't predict that."

"I think he wants one," she said. "I mean, I know that he'll love his baby, that's not even a concern, I just don't think he wants to be with me anymore. He thinks I'm wishy-washy."

"You can't help everything in your life, you know."

"I know," she nodded. "It's just hard when I'm having this baby. It's the x-factor."

"I know how babies can really screw with your life," he said, trying to make things lighter than they were right now. "For what it's worth, I think that you're really brave for what you're doing."

"You think I'm_brave_?"

"Yeah, I do," he nodded. "I mean, it takes a lot to leave the comfort zone. And I do really like you, Li, you're fun to be around, and you're kind and you're just a good person. I like being around you and just…hanging out around you."

"You really do? I was afraid that you really thought I was just some needy, whiny, little bitch and that you only accepted because you felt bad for me," she confessed, giving another one of those forced laughs.

"No, I accepted because I do really like you. You're fun, and I like having fun with you."

"Thank you," she said. "I just didn't want to never see where this has the potential to go. I think we have the duty to at least see. I would hate myself if I never saw and settled. I'm not saying that I settled with Matt, but if I know there's something better out there, I think that I deserve that."

"I think we all deserve that. It was really hard letting go of Stephanie and Tristan. I did love the both of them, and it is hard, but how could I hold them back? I didn't want to make Stephanie stay with me if that's not what she wanted. I think the same thing goes with Matt. If he loves you at all, he'll let you figure out what's best for you."

"And in the end, it could be him," she said, thinking of hopeful futures with Matt and their child. Smiling and laughing and just being with each other, and it was a nice picture. A really nice picture that she was sure she would be fine with.

"It could." Then she thought of the man in front of her, and heaven help her, she could see a future with him as well.

"Or it could be you."


	90. Chapter 90

A/N: Sorry about lack of updates, but please leave a review anyways, it may motivate me to update. :P

* * *

"So I got the invitation to your wedding."

"Oh good, I was hoping that those had gotten out to people," Stephanie said as she looked up at Hunter. She knew for a fact though that this wasn't why he had come to her in the first place. She knew that once again she was going to have to talk to him, probably about Lita. She sighed a little, almost unnoticeable by Hunter and she pulled the seat out next to her, "Have a seat, I know you want to."

"I do, actually," he said gratefully as he took the seat offered to him.

"So what is it this time?"

"You don't have to make it sound like I'm an inconvenience," he told her.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she apologized, "it's just that you're constantly coming to me with your problems and it's a little frustrating, you know. I mean, I'm getting married in less than a month and that's a lot to plan for everyone we've invited."

"Do you want me to leave?"

Stephanie kind of felt like she was married to Hunter again. They used to fight all the time, usually over stupid, insipid things. She didn't want to relive that period of her life though and she looked at the man in front of her, wondering how she could've loved him at all. She had Chris now and she was happy and Hunter was her friend. That word stuck out in her mind. Hunter was her friend and she wanted to help him when he was obviously thinking about something, even if it cut into her time planning her wedding.

"No, you can stay," she told him shortly.

"Thanks," he said, glancing at what she had been writing, "what are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm planning out a menu. I'm having a meeting…well, Chris and I are having a meeting, actually, with the caterers that we want to do our wedding and I was just trying to think of things that I wanted to see on the menu. Nothing big."

"So it's exciting that you're getting married, huh?"

"Well, I did want this one to go a little better than my last one did," Stephanie said, trying to clear the air between them that had gotten thicker with her rudeness towards him.

He chuckled, "Yeah, that one wasn't…great."

"Are you going to come, I can put your name down right now," she said, hand poised above the sheet of paper.

"Yeah, I'm coming, definitely."

"Bringing anyone?" she asked, jotting a little note to herself in the margins of the binder paper she had been writing on.

"Um, I don't know, put me down for just myself for right now."

"Are you _thinking_ about bringing anyone?"

"Well, I uh," he cleared his throat, unsure of how to continue without looking like a lovesick puppy or something. "I might, um, I was thinking, I don't know, with it being so soon, I was thinking…"

"Spit it out."

"I was thinking that I might bring Lita, actually," he did spit out. He looked down at the table, almost too afraid to look at Stephanie and see her reaction. She was friends with Matt, or at least she thought so and here he was, saying that he might ask the man's wife out on a date…to a _wedding_ of all things.

"Oh, well, she's invited too," Stephanie said, "so she's probably going to be there since she's such good friends with Chris, and with me now, but more so with Chris."

"Yeah, I know, which makes it easier on me, I guess."

"You want to ask her there?"

"We went on that date, remember?"

"Yes, I remember, wasn't it only a few days ago? I seem to remember people buzzing about it around here, gossips, everyone," she said bitterly, thinking about what people had said about her when she had revealed the truth about Tristan. Everyone around here just loved to spread dirt about everyone else. She figured it was always to deflect away from whatever sins they were committing.

"Yeah, it was a few days ago, seems like a lifetime though. I really had fun with her," Hunter confessed, "which just makes me more confused about the whole thing. I mean, if she weren't married and _pregnant_, I would definitely be pursuing her. But she's pregnant and married…separated, whatever she is and it's uncomfortable, especially because I work with the guy."

"The heart wants what the heart wants," Stephanie pointed out to him, and that was certainly true. She knew it in her own life. She had tried so hard to just stay away from Chris, but she hadn't been able to. She thought she could settle for Hunter and be perfectly content raising Chris's daughter without him, living in this blissful ignorance of the world around her. But things didn't work that way in the real world. Sometimes you had to go for what you wanted and grab it and not let go. "Can I say something?"

"What…go ahead," he prompted her.

"You know how you always read those stories where like there're two people and they're in love with each other, but there's always some obstacle in front of them?"

"I think you just described every chick flick ever made."

Stephanie glared at him, "Not funny."

"Sorry, go on."

"Well, in those stories, not the chick flicks," she added, "you sometimes get that sad ending where the obstacles just can't be overcome and they're doomed to just settle for what they have, you know what I mean."

"I'm not sure."

"Obstacles can be overcome. I just don't believe that sitting on your ass is going to do anything. I sat and did nothing, _nothing_, while Chris was with Victoria. I sat back and watched them bitterly and I was miserable when they were together, but I was just like the people in those stories, content to let it play to that finish where I'd be upset. If you like Lita, if you think there's something there, something tangible that you can hold onto, there are no obstacles, you can do what you want and be with her if you want, but you can't sit on your ass and do nothing about it."

"I get what you're saying now," he told her quietly in response to her impassioned speech.

"Do you, do you _really_?" she asked him, emphasizing the end of her question. She wasn't sure he _was_ getting what she was saying. "It's more than just accepting something, it's going out and making that something work."

"Yeah, I got that."

"Do you like Lita?"

"I do."

"Do you want to go out with her again?"

"I do," he repeated.

"Then just ask her out again. The worst that can happen is that this thing fizzles and you're a little awkward around each other. Maybe she's just been with Matt for so long that she feels like she needs to sow her wild oats or something."

"Could be."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She had no patience for this type of thing anymore. Maybe it was selfish of her not to care when Hunter was obviously going through something, but she just wanted to focus on her wedding and nothing more. She was sick and tired of just focusing on everything around her and nobody seemed to get that.

"Hunter, you just have to figure it out yourself, I can't be a crutch that you rely on all the time. We're not married anymore, remember?" she told him rather derisively. Then she sighed, catching just how awful she had been to him. "Sorry, I'm just…I want to focus on my wedding."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be putting this on you, I know. I guess I just kind of felt that I could come to you and you would be impartial, you know. I bet a lot of the guys would ask me what the hell I'm doing going around with a married woman."

"Yeah, I think that'd be some of their reactions, but you of all people should know how guys around here behave. Most of them cheat on their wives anyways," she said, saying the blunt truth. She didn't worry about Chris because the man worked with her all the time, and not only that, but she trusted him completely even though she did see many of his peers cavorting around with other women.

"I guess those guys would think it was awesome, but…I'm sorry, you really should be focusing on your wedding, you're getting married, wow, that is so weird to say," he chuckled softly. "I'm sorry that I made you think that you should keep Tristan from Chris."

"Wow, that is so water under the bridge that it's disappeared to the ocean," Stephanie told him.

"Yeah, I know, I just wish that I could be so…happy."

"You can be, I don't know," Stephanie said as she spotted Chris and Tristan walking past catering without even noticing she was in there. She watched them as they passed slowly, Tristan walking and talking up at Chris. She was probably talking mostly gibberish since she didn't know a terrible amount of real words yet. Chris, for his part, was just watching her and nodding along, answering where appropriate. Tristan seemed satisfied with his answers and they walked along having their own private conversation. Hunter noticed Stephanie staring off at something and he turned his head just in time to catch the last glimpses of Chris and Tristan.

"I want that," he whispered, more to himself than to her.

She didn't know quite what to say to that. It was water under the bridge for them, sure, but for a while, Hunter had believed that little girl was _his_ little girl. No sooner had he gotten her that Tristan had been taken away from him. It must've been terrible thinking that he had a little girl, this perfect, little thing who would love him and adore him, and then to find out, in the blink of an eye really, that the little girl was not his at all, but someone else's, that she would look up in adoration at some other man, just like she had been doing right that second with Chris.

Stephanie felt immensely sad for the shambles that Hunter's life had seemed to turn into after they had parted ways. He had been with Stacy, but she was too ashamed of the way they had come together that she had left Hunter. Then he thought he could fall for someone who was already married and pregnant. It had to be confusing and so she put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"You'll figure it all out."

Chris held Tristan's hand as she reached for something she shouldn't be touching, hell it was something he shouldn't be touching, "Let's not play with electrical wire, shall we."

"'Kay," she shrugged, deciding that there must be better things to play with around here. Chris saw Lita up ahead, leaning against a wall and thinking.

"You look like you're starting to show," Chris told her, pointing at her stomach, not having enough tact to not just blurt it out.

"Oh, yeah," Lita said, pulling her t-shirt so it covered her stomach a little bit. She was uncomfortable with showing. She had noticed it a couple of days ago, standing in front of the mirror and inspecting every inch of her body. She suspected that many expecting mothers did this, tried to find changes in their bodies. She only figured that a lot of those women also had guys to whom they went running to tell this happy news. But like some of those women, she had no man to run to.

"You look good, you're looking good," Chris said encouragingly, though it looked to be far from the truth. She certainly looked better than she had before though. The bags were still under her eyes, but they weren't as dark now so she must've been sleeping. She also didn't look as weak and for that he was thankful.

"Thanks, I've been trying to take care of myself," she told him. "You know…for the baby…"

He found it odd that she would have to explain that. He figured that she was taking care of herself for the baby. He caught her looking down at Tristan with interest. Tristan had seen a thread sticking out from Chris's jeans and she was tugging at it, trying to break it free, but she wasn't strong enough. Her dark eyebrows were furrowed as she tugged, a deep look of concentration on her face.

"Yeah, for the baby…how was your, uh, thing with Hunter?"

She looked more sorrow-filled now more than ever.

"I loved it."


	91. Chapter 91

"So I'm not sure how all this is going to work."

"I don't really know either," Lita said as she sat on a bench in the small courtyard of the medical offices. "I mean, I know we're going to go up there, and I'm going to get checked out, but beyond that, nope, don't know."

"Me neither," Matt said, sitting next to her, but not touching her in any way. "Do you want me there?"

"I think you should be there, yeah," Lita told him.

"Yeah, you didn't answer the question, do you _want_ me here?" he asked, pressing the question further. They had only spoken about her appointment and not much else so he didn't know if she really wanted him to be here.

"I don't know, this is awkward, don't you think?" Lita said. "I mean, I know that we've…I know that we're going through…a rough spot or something."

"You call this a rough spot?" he laughed humorlessly.

"Well, are we separated? I don't even really know what this is," Lita said. "I'm just really confused. I don't know…I don't' know much of anything anymore and it's terrifying, don't you think?"

"I want to get along for this baby," Matt told her, "regardless of how things turn out for us, I want to be civil for our baby."

"I want that too," Lita said. "I never wanted this to happen, Matt, I know that's lame and cliché as hell, but I didn't. I never envisioned something like this for myself. I thought that when you get married, it's good, you know, things are good, they don't immediately fall to pieces. And there's a baby involved and everything, it's a nightmare."

"I'll add in a cliché of my own, I want you to be happy, Li, with me, with Hunter, with whoever, I just want you to be happy," Matt told her.

"I want you to be happy too," she responded. "So do you think that we can go see how our baby is doing?"

"I would really like to do that," he said, offering her his hand. She took it and held it tightly in hers and she felt bad in that moment. Not just for herself and Matt, just for the entire situation. It was still there with Matt, she could feel it just as sure as she could feel anything. There was still electricity in the soft touch of his fingers with her and she knew he could feel it too. So why weren't they together? She didn't even really know her own self any more, how could she know what was right or wrong in any part of her life.

They walked upstairs and into the doctor's office, sitting down to wait to go into the examination room. The tension didn't lift as they sat there, side-by-side. They were married and they didn't know how to act around each other. There were a few other women sitting around, in various stages of pregnancy, and she looked at them and wondered if any of them were in strange predicaments. She was saved from further thought when the doctor called her in. They weren't going to do an ultrasound today, but it was the first time that she would get to hear the baby so she wanted Matt to be there for that. If nothing else, she could give him that.

They were both in awe when they heard it. It was just a fast, thumping sound, but it meant something, meant so much. Lita understood that she would forever be connected with Matt, but she wasn't so sure of it until that moment arrived. She loved this child and she would do anything to protect it. She had forgotten that for a little while a couple weeks ago, but now she knew that she had to take care of this little person growing inside of her.

"Well that was crazy," Matt said later as they walked out of the doctor's office. "Did you hear that?

"Yeah, who knew a baby's heartbeat was so fast," Lita said in awe. "I mean, the doctor said it was really good, a really strong heartbeat. I'm pleased about that."

"Yeah, me too, it was pretty cool, I'm glad I could be there to hear it, you know," he said gratefully.

She felt terrible for making him think, even for one second, that he wouldn't be welcome. "This is your baby too, you shouldn't have to ask, if you want to come, you are always welcome to come, always."

"Thanks," he said as they reached their cars. "So um, I better…you know, get back…to Jeff's, where I'm staying and everything."

"Yeah," Lita said reluctantly. It sounded almost like Matt was angling to get back into the house. She almost wanted to invite him back home and tell him everything was going to be okay, but her lips weren't moving and her vocal chords appeared to be impaired. "So…I guess I'll see you…at work."

"Yeah, at work, that'd be good, I'd like that."

"Yeah, me too, maybe…never-mind."

"Okay," he said, then shuffled his feet a little bit, "So um…are you going to Chris and Stephanie's wedding?"

"Yeah, I was planning on it," Lita said. "I mean, Chris is one of my very best friends and I've gotten close to Stephanie so of course I'm going to go. I think it'd be rude if I wasn't…are you going?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm definitely going to be there," Matt said with a nod. "I was wonder…um, well, I mean, you don't have to, and I would understand if you didn't since you…needed the space or something, but do you think that maybe we could go out to dinner sometime or something."

He was throwing out the olive branch towards her, hoping she'd take it and his voice sounded so despondent yet hopeful, "Um, yeah, sure," she found herself saying before she could help it. This man was her husband after all, even if right now it was in name only. "Yeah, we definitely can figure something out."

He smiled in relief and actually took a breath, "Great, yeah, thanks, I would really like that."

"I think I would too," Lita said, then threw her thumb towards her car, "I should probably get going though, you know, get home and all of that."

"Yeah, yeah," Matt nodded. "I'll get going too. So I'll see you later."

"Yeah, you'll see me later," Lita said, then walked over to her car. Matt actually stood with his door open until she pulled out of the parking spot and left the parking lot. She drove without taking a glance backwards. She drove straight home, intent on making herself a sandwich and lounging in front of the TV. When she pulled up, she was surprised to see Hunter sitting on her front step. She felt a slight flutter in her stomach and couldn't immediately attribute it to the baby inside of her. "Hunter?" she said as she got out of the car.

"Hey!" he said brightly.

"What are you doing in North Carolina?" she asked.

"I just had the urge to surprise you," he told her honestly. She smiled at him and gave him a hug, "I'm not overstepping any boundaries, am I?"

"No, not at all, I wasn't planning on doing anything today and the company is much appreciated," she told him. "Have you eaten lunch? I can make you a sandwich or something, that's what I was going to do."

"Yeah, a sandwich would be really good. Thanks."

"No problem," Lita said as they walked inside.

"I know you had a doctor's appointment today--"

"You remembered," she told him with a smile. She thought it was pretty adorable that he had made a mental note of something she had only really mentioned in passing when they were out together.

"Yeah, you mentioned it. That's why I arrived when I did, so you know, you wouldn't have a choice but to talk to me since you wouldn't be in your house conveniently avoiding the door when I rang," Hunter joked.

"For you, I think I'd open the door," Lita told him, grabbing the stuff for the sandwiches as Hunter took a seat on a stool.

"Wow, I feel special," Hunter said.

He watched her go around the kitchen and he felt comfortable here. This felt pretty good, just sitting here and watching her go about doing something. It all felt so domesticated and he never had this before. Stephanie was not much the domesticated type and she wasn't the kind to look at home in the kitchen. Lita didn't look like this was her favorite place, but it was definitely something that felt kind of right.

"Well, it's not everyone I'd make a sandwich for. Turkey alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine," he answered, "so how did the appointment go?"

"It was fine," she responded. "We got to hear the baby's heartbeat and it is so cute. I never realized that it would be so quick. I mean, I knew that it wasn't going to sound like mine, but it sounded nothing like I thought it would."

"That's pretty cool, I'm assuming by the 'we' that Matt went with you."

"Yeah, I invited him, I mean, you know, he should be there."

"He absolutely should, it's a pretty amazing feeling. I mean, I've felt it, but then it wasn't real, but I know what it feels like. I was there with Stephanie when she had that appointment with the heartbeat, so yeah, I know it's fast."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," she said quietly as they both didn't speak. Each one was thinking of the circumstances revolving around a simple thing like a baby's heartbeat. She had heard it with her estranged husband and he had heard it with his wife that was pregnant with another man's baby. Neither was exactly what you wanted out of a doctor's appointment for something as huge as this.

"Yeah, no big deal, I'm sure I'll get that chance again," he said, but he wasn't so sure of that fact. "But it's cool that you got to hear the heartbeat, makes it more real, huh?"

"That's for sure, I've got to take care of myself, I know that now. I was stupid when I wasn't eating. I've got this baby relying on me and I've got to make sure that I do everything for him or her. I want a kid like Tristan, I do want that, so I've got to take care of myself."

"That's the attitude to have," he chuckled. "Speaking of Tristan, you're going to the wedding, right?"

"Right," she said, thinking back to the same question asked by her husband earlier. "I'm definitely going to be there."

"I would've figured you as a bridesmaid, actually," Hunter mused.

Lita shook her head, "Didn't you know, Chris and Stephanie aren't going to have groomsmen or bridesmaids. They really just want it to be them. It's going to be really simple. Stephanie showed me the place they're getting married. It's in Connecticut, this beautiful garden on some estate. It's really going to be nice."

"I'm glad for them. I'm glad they're happy," Hunter said and he was. If he couldn't have Stephanie, he was glad that Chris did.

"Me too. They deserve it. They've been through a lot…sorry, that sounded like a crack at you."

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't a great husband, I've become a better person though, hopefully," he said, crossing his fingers and giving her a big grin, to which she laughed at before setting the sandwich in front of him.

"Well, I definitely like the new you," she said, sitting down next to him before she started to eat her own sandwich. "You're changed now. Maybe you and Stephanie just weren't right for each other, you know. Like you together is a volatile combination, you know, like in chemistry with the chemicals that you're not supposed to mix together. You were like that with her. But now that you two are divorced and not together anymore, you're both back to being good people."

"That makes little to no sense," he joked and she nudged him with her arm, "No, I get what you're saying. I tend to agree, I don't think we were great together. We pretended to be great and put up this front, but if we were both willing to cheat, it wasn't that great at all."

"Yeah, exactly, well put."

"But yeah, so you're going to the wedding, are you going with anyone?"

"Um, as a date?"

"Yeah…I guess," he responded nervously, taking an extra big bite of his sandwich so he wouldn't have to speak for a while. He almost started choking from the bite, but quickly chewed to save face and not make her have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her.

"Are you asking me?"

"Well…I thought about it," Hunter said. "I just thought, well, I had fun, when we went out, did you have fun?"

"I did," she confirmed.

"Yeah, so I was thinking, maybe we could go to the wedding together. I mean, I know Matt is most likely going to go as well, but well, I don't know what's going on with you two, but I think…I want to go with you…if you want to, I mean."

She smiled at his nervousness and placed her hand on his hand, which was actually shaking slightly, which only endeared him to her more.

"I'd like that."


	92. Chapter 92

"Well this is interesting."

"What is?" Chris asked as he looked over at Stephanie.

"I'm just looking at the RSVP's for the wedding," she said as she stared down at the card in front of her. "You know, seeing who wants to eat what and whatever and who's coming."

"That's usually what RSVP's are for."

"I know that," she sneered, but then smiled at him. "But what I'm getting at is the fact that apparent Lita and Hunter are coming together."

"What?" Chris said.

"Yup," she said, holding up a card. He took it from her and looked down at it. It was Lita's RSVP and it checked that she would be bringing someone, but that someone was Hunter and they'd both be having the steak.

"Wow," Chris muttered under his breath.

"Shocked?"

"A little, yeah," Chris admitted. "I mean, I knew there was something brewing between them, but this is an actual date. Like a wedding date, you know and there's lots of love in the air at weddings, at least I plan on having a lot of love on display when I marry you."

Stephanie laughed and plucked the card out of his hand. "Keep it PG-13 please, our daughter is going to be there."

"See, people already see how much we love each other, so I think a solid R is in order."

"You want to get R-rated at our wedding? So what, you want to strip me when we kiss after the ceremony?" she giggled.

"Well, no, but only because my parents are going to be there and I want to spare them seeing me maul you," Chris said, "but if it were just us, then hell yeah I'd start stripping you down. I plan on doing it on the wedding night."

Stephanie shook her head. "You know, we haven't even decided where our daughter is going to be on our wedding night. How awful are we that we haven't even accorded for where our daughter is going to be?"

"I think we just lost our _Parents of the Year_ nomination," Chris joked. "We can leave her with my parents. Actually, we can probably leave her with them for our honeymoon too."

"I can't believe you talked me into one of those."

"I can't believe _you_ didn't want one at all and just wanted to go back to work immediately. That is completely breaking with tradition. The married couple _needs _to go on a honeymoon for the sheer fact that you get to have tons of sex. That's what honeymoons are for."

"Like that doesn't happen already."

"Tristan kind of cramps our style a little," Chris said. "I don't mind because I love her, but you know, the honeymoon is necessary, as necessary as the cake or rings or anything, really."

"You're a pervert," she told him. She started leafing through the rest of the RSVP's quickly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm looking to see if Matt's is in here," she said. "I mean, I don't really expect him to be bringing a date, but do you think he knows about this?"

"Probably not, I don't know," Chris said. "I'm not going to call him up and ask."

"I don't want any awkwardness at our wedding," Stephanie said. "I don't want anything to go wrong. Enough stuff has gone wrong for two lifetimes, I just want this day to go extremely well, the best it could possibly go. I want it to be perfect, absolutely perfect."

"I'll make sure of it, I'll have a special enforcer and everything."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, like a bouncer."

"Not like Ralphus, right?"

Chris snorted in laughter, "No, nothing like that, just someone to intimidate everyone into behaving. I'm not going to have someone ruin the only wedding I'm going to ever have. You, on the other hand, second times are better than first ones."

"You're sweet. I love you," she said, leaning over to kiss him. Chris met her halfway and kissed her back. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him.

"I love you too," he said. "I can't wait to marry you. The day cannot come soon enough. I'm so ready to marry you. What do you say we just go get married right now?"

"What?" she asked. "We can't do that."

"Sure we could. We find the Justice of the Peace and we get married. Then our wedding is really just a celebration of our marriage, a huge party, really," he said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of making Stephanie his wife immediately. "We could get Tristan and everything. We could scrounge up a couple witnesses."

"You're crazy, we're getting married in two weeks, surely you can wait two weeks."

"I don't think I can. I think I need to marry you right now."

"No, you don't," Stephanie said. "Come on, I have a beautiful dress and Tristan's got a pretty dress too and everything. We want to have it in front of everyone, remember? We want to do it right. We didn't exactly do Tristan right."

"I think we've rectified that situation."

"Two weeks, Chris," she told him with a pout. "I love you, you can wait two weeks."

"If you say so," he sighed. "I'm going to go check on Trist."

"Okay," she said. "Just two weeks, honey, two weeks."

"I got it, I got it," he said, putting her down and getting up to go check on the napping Tristan.

Stephanie went back to looking at the RSVP's. "Here it is!" she said. "Yeah, he's coming. This is definitely going to be awkward now. I don't want everything to be so awkward."

"I wonder what prompted Lita and Hunter to go together," Chris shrugged as he went upstairs. He watched Tristan sleep for a few minutes. He would've married Stephanie immediately if she had given him the word. He was so ready to just make her Mrs. Chris Jericho. He was already jumping out of his skin to be with her.

The journey had been so hard. It was hard remembering the days when he knew Tristan was his but couldn't be around Stephanie. He usually didn't even think back to those days. He was a fan of looking forward, but getting to this point had been so difficult. There were a lot of nights where he didn't want to get up the next morning. There were even more where he'd fall into bed in a drunken stupor.

Now he was two weeks removed from marrying Stephanie though and nothing could feel better than that. So you'd have to excuse him for being jumpy because this was something he had wanted for so long. He was marrying the woman he loved, the mother of his child so if she had just said yes he would be in the car already. He would be driving without any regrets. All she had to do was say the word.

"Hey, she still sleeping?" Stephanie whispered as she came into the room.

"Yeah, she is."

"Cool," Stephanie said, coming over to stand next to Chris. She leaned on the crib next to Chris.

"Yeah, she's beautiful, huh?" Chris said. He wanted to reach down and caress her cheek, but he didn't want her to wake up. She just looked so peaceful lying there. In all of this, he was glad she was relatively untouched by it all. It helped that she was so young, but he never wanted anything to hurt her. He knew it was an impossible dream, but still, it was all he wanted for his little girl.

"Yeah, I can't wait to have another one," she said, "just throwing that out there, not right now, obviously, but in the future."

"I got you," Chris said with a short laugh. "You're just saying there's more of them in our future."

"Exactly," she said and they fell into silence once again.

Stephanie reached out slowly and grasped his hand. He held it tightly in his own and she scooted over and leaned her head on his shoulder. They took in the quiet moment. Tristan was a little talker so the moments of quiet usually came when she was asleep. They were just enjoying each other's company and enjoying their daughter's company.

"Let's do it," Stephanie told him.

"What?" he said.

"Let's go get married, right now, let's do it, let's just get married."

"Are you serious?"

"I know you want to," she told him, turning her head to look at Chris. There was a grin lighting up her face. "I know you were serious when you said you wanted to get married. You want this so much and I want this so much, so let's just do it. We don't even have to tell anyone. We can just pretend like the wedding is our actual wedding and we can just make it our little secret."

"You've gone crazy. You hit your head on the way up here," Chris said, feeling her forehead with his hand. "Is it yellow fever?"

She pushed his hand away. "I'm serious. You want this, I want this, why not? Seriously, why not?"

"You want to go get married secretly?"

"Yes, I do."

"Oh my God." He looked at her, searching her face, but she just looked excited and happy. He was still flabbergasted that she had even suggested it and didn't really believe it, but she looked completely serious about the proposition.

"I know!" she said.

"But wait," he said, his mood dampening. "Your first wedding was at a drive-thru and you weren't even coherent. I don't want that for you again. You deserve the best."

"I'll get it, we're getting an actual wedding anyways. It'll definitely mean something, it'll be a celebration with all our friends and family. It's fine, you know, I don't really care. I want to be with you. I want to marry you and you want to marry me, so let's do it. Let's throw caution to the wind. Let's just…do it, what do you say?"

"You won't regret it. We don't get a do-over."

"I won't, I promise. I was thinking about it and this is all well and good, you know, but the end game is the same, me getting to marry you. That's all I care about. You, me, and Tristan getting to officially be a family in the eyes of God and the law, that's what I want so much. So let's do it."

"This is certifiably crazy, you do understand that, right? Especially if you don't want to tell anyone."

"I know," she said, "but I took a chance on you a long time ago so this is nothing to me."

He smiled and cupped her face in his hands, "You're positive about this?"

"Absolutely, no doubts, no regrets."

"Okay, I'm so in."

"Great, me too…what about her?" Stephanie said.

"Oh, she'd be in," he said. "I don't want to wake her up, but I don't want to wait a second longer."

"Tristan, sweetie," Stephanie said, grabbing Tristan's hand and rubbing it. Tristan opened her eyes a little bit and then closed them, wanting to go back to sleep. Stephanie laughed and leaned over to pick her up. This caused Tristan to wake up and she started to cry lightly. "It's okay, sweetie, Daddy and I are going to get married, so you have to get up. We're going to have to get all pretty for Daddy."

"Oh yeah, I have to get a suit…should we wear our wedding clothes?"

"Nah, just put on something really nice. We'll save everything for our wedding and leave it to our wedding. This way it'll still be new and everything."

"Okay, well, I can get dressed faster, so let me get dressed and then I can take care of Tristan and you can do whatever you need to do and we can go down to the courthouse and get a marriage license and do whatever needs to be done."

"This is _so_ impulsive," she giggled.

"I know," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "I can't believe we're going to get married like this."

"I can't believe it either," she said. "But we're definitely doing it."

"Okay, I'm getting ready then."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Oh my God, we're getting married!"

"Yeah we are, this is crazy."

"It is, I love you."

"I love you too."

"So we're really doing this."

"Yes, we're doing this."


	93. Chapter 93

A/N: Happy Holidays! :)

* * *

"So, one more time, this is really what you want to do?"

Stephanie nodded, "I'm sure, Chris, I really want to get married."

"Because we're, here, you know, there's no turning back, we've got the marriage license ready and waiting for it to be signed and we've dressed up and gotten an appointment with the Justice of the Peace and we have witnesses, you just have to be sure."

Stephanie took Chris's hands and felt them shaking in her own. He was nervous and she took a step closer to him, gripping his hands tightly in her own, hoping to quell his nerves. "Chris, I'm absolutely positive that this is what I want. I was going to marry you anyways and we're still going to have that wedding. This is for us, for _us_. We deserve this."

He nodded and smiled at her, "I agree, we've been through a lot."

"We have, so let's just get married and start everything else, okay?"

"I just don't want you to regret doing it like this."

"I won't," she said, standing up and kissing him on the cheek. "I think this is romantic."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's more intimate, not a big production. Just us and our daughter, the only ones that matter."

"I love you."

"Save it for the vows, mister," she told him cheekily.

"Okay, okay," he said, kissing her forehead. "I can't wait to be married to you. Do you think we could get someone to baby-sit Trist tonight?"

"I bet Edge would do it," she said after thinking for a moment. "Why?"

"Well, while you were getting ready, I kind of booked us a room at the nicest hotel in the city. I thought we could have an abbreviated honeymoon tonight."

"You're so sweet," Stephanie said, hugging him.

It was all coming down to this. She was going to marry Chris today and nothing was going to stop them. She had been so ready to be with Chris for so long and it was culminating in this. She knew their friends and family would be confused as to why they couldn't just wait and maybe hurt that they hadn't been included if they knew what was happening, but Stephanie was so far beyond that point. She and Chris had been through too much and they just couldn't cater to the people around them anymore.

It really hadn't been that long since she had discovered she was pregnant, but it felt like ages ago. So much had happened in the meantime. She had slept with Chris, reunited with Hunter, discovered her pregnancy, lied, lied, lied, had Tristan, lied some more and then she had found Chris nearly unconscious and the decision had almost been made for her. She never thought she and Chris could work, especially when he was with Victoria. She felt like the third wheel in their relationship and then suddenly, like a burst of light from a cloudy sky, she and Chris had found their way to each other.

She took a deep breath as their turn came. They knew they were probably squeezed in between two completely meaningless events, but it was okay, she and Chris would have their wedding and she was sure it'd be beautiful. The emotions in this ceremony would carry it far above just a couple of impulsive people getting married.

Stephanie picked up Tristan from where she was sitting and followed Chris into the room. She stood by the door at his insistence. He was being silly and wanted her to walk down the "aisle," which was just a short little walkway to the front, where the Justice of the Peace was waiting. She set Tristan down and the little girl looked around, wondering where they were exactly. Stephanie took her daughter's hand and together they walked up to the front as Chris had a CD played on the small player sitting on one of the chairs.

The walk was slow since Tristan was still a toddler. Stephanie didn't have any flowers, but it was okay as she held Tristan's hand and came to the front of the room where Chris was standing. He was positively beaming as his girls stood in front of him. One of the witnesses, a stenographer on her break, turned it off for them. Stephanie grinned at Chris and he was almost glowing. She felt like she was glowing too.

The man started the ceremony and the words went in their ears, but Stephanie wasn't sure if they were really registering with her. He asked them if they would like to say a few words and Chris spoke up, "Actually, we're supposed to be having a wedding in a couple weeks, so we've got stuff we're going to say, but um, we decided to be impulsive. I guess I can come up with a little something to say." Chris cleared his throat, "Steph, wow, this is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I'm not really quite sure what to say right now. I'm usually that really confident guy who always has a quick quip or insult or whatever, but this is a beast I've never really tangled with before. We didn't have the best start, we both know that, but um, I want to give you the best ending ever. That's it, that's my goal. I'm going to make up for lost time. I love you."

"Stephanie, did you want to say something?"

Stephanie took Chris's hands. "You shouldn't love me like you do. I know, you'll refute that, but you shouldn't, not after everything. Yet, you still do and that speaks so much to the goodness in your heart. You still love me and you loved me even when I didn't deserve any of that love. I'm going to deserve it, Chris, I will make sure that for the rest of time, I'm deserving of that love. I love you."

The ceremony preceded and Chris brought out the rings they had bought a week ago that were supposed to be presented at their wedding. They slipped the bands on each other's fingers and suddenly, they were kissing and married. Their witnesses clapped for them and they pulled away happily. Chris picked up Tristan and gave her a big kiss on the cheek and she giggled and rested against him.

"Congratulations," the Justice of the Peace said.

"Thanks," they said in tandem.

They filled out the marriage license and after all the paperwork was finished it was over and they were married. They walked out into the bright afternoon sun and the first thing Stephanie did was giggle madly and pull Chris to her. He kissed her hard, his lips pressing into hers. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, careful not to crush his daughter between them.

"Oh my God, we're married," she told him, her eyes wide with disbelief that she had been so impulsive.

"I know, Mrs. Jericho."

"Oh wow, Mrs. Jericho, I'm Mrs. Jericho, well, McMahon-Jericho," she corrected herself. "We really did it, we're really married."

They walked down to the car and she looked at her ring. This was for real. It wasn't a practice run; she and Chris were married. "So should we just like, go home?"

"I guess," she said. "We can call Edge from there and have him stay with Trist. Do you think he'd mind staying overnight?"

"I don't know, but we can ask him."

"Okay," she nodded. "We're going to have to take off our rings, you know."

"What?"

"We can't wear them when we're not supposed to be married," Stephanie pointed out. "Nobody knows we're married so we can't wear the rings and give it away."

"I didn't think of that," he said, looking down at his left hand where the ring was sitting. It looked good on his finger, like it was meant to be there. Stephanie had placed it on him slowly, sliding it down until it could slide down no more and it bound him to her. "I don't really want to take it off."

"I don't either," she said, lacing their fingers together as they got to their car. "But we don't want to give this away, do we?"

"No, I don't want anyone to know, I want to keep it ours."

"I want to keep it ours too," she said shyly. It was like their own little present to one another. It was exciting to have this secret, like they were a couple of rebellious teenagers.

"Okay, well, I guess that means we have to take off the rings then."

"Not just yet, we'll wait, let's just wait for a little while." Stephanie liked the look of the ring on her hand


	94. Chapter 94

A/N: Sorry it's taken me forever to update this. I just have so many stories. Anyways, I was going over the last chapter only to realize it only half-uploaded and cut off a bunch of the chapter, so the beginning of this chapter is actually part of the end of the last chapter, sorry about that, I usually check. Anyways, please leave a review, thanks. :)

And on another note, if you love Jericho/Stephanie, go read StephanieIrvine's "Blind," which is such an awesome story and written by an amazingly vivid writer. So go check that story out because it is amazing! :)

* * *

"Not just yet, we'll wait, let's just wait for a little while." Stephanie liked the look of the ring on her hand. It seemed to really just fit there and she wasn't ready to take it off. They weren't really going to see anyone tonight, probably just Edge, so she could keep it on a little longer. She wanted to keep it on forever though. "I like it, I want to keep it on forever."

"You will," he told her. "Be patient…wait a second, we weren't patient at all and now we're married. So there goes the patience part of our relationship. My parents would kill me if they knew we were married. I mean, this is my first and only wedding, presumably, and they weren't here for it, oh man, we can never tell about this."

"It's our secret," she said, grabbing his right hand. "Something that's just ours. I like it better that way."

He glanced over at her, "I do too."

They got home and changed out of their clothes. They didn't want to tip Edge off that anything had happened. Chris insisted on carrying Stephanie over the threshold though and she giggled as he set her down and then carried Tristan over the threshold too. She kissed him on the cheek like she had seen her mommy do and he kissed her back. He handed her to his wife, oh man, that felt so good for him to even think. Stephanie was his wife.

They called Edge and he was more than happy to give them the night off. They lied and told him they just needed a night away to get away from the stresses of planning a wedding. He said he understood and would be over in a little while. Chris and Stephanie packed their things and waited for Edge to come over. They remembered to take off their rings and Chris put them back in the box they were in originally, before they held such meaning. It was Stephanie that opened the door.

"Hey, Edge, thanks so much for watching her tonight."

"No problem, she loves me," Edge said, then looked at Stephanie critically. "You look really happy tonight, like you're glowing…oh my God, are you pregnant again, is that why you're getting married so quickly?"

"What? No," Stephanie said, then tried to scale back her smile, but it was difficult. "No, I'm just glad for the night away. Plus, Chris and I are getting married in two weeks, I'm happy, happier than I've been in a really long time."

"Well, good cause you definitely look it," Edge said. "I guess it's that bride glow thing."

"I think so," Stephanie said, knowing on this day, she was actually a bride and not just a bride-to-be. "Chris thought this would be a nice surprise for me and I think it is. I'm just…I'm just so happy."

Edge laughed at her giddiness. "Where is Chris?"

"Oh, just getting our things, come on inside," Stephanie said as Edge dropped his duffel bag on the floor next to the door. "You know how to take care of her so I won't go into a spiel or anything. She wakes up early though, that you probably don't know, so you might not want to stay up all night doing whatever you do."

"Okay, going to sleep early, can do."

"Hey man," Chris said, coming in and wrapping his arms around Stephanie and kissing the back of her head. "Thanks for watching Trist tonight. We really appreciate it."

"Yeah, heard that already," he said. "Man, you two look like you should just get married right now."

Chris and Stephanie laughed nervously. "We can wait, it's only two weeks," Stephanie said then giggled as Chris nuzzled her neck.

"Oh disgusting, please, I just ate lunch, I don't need to see it again," Edge joked. "Get out of here, you crazy kids…hey, you're not going to go elope right now or anything, are you?"

"No, we're not," Chris said assuredly. You couldn't elope when you'd already done it.

"Just making sure because then I'd like, have to run to my house and grab your gift or something," Edge joked. "Have fun, you two. Don't wake anyone up with all the bed rocking I know is going to happen."

"Disgusting, dude," Chris said, slapping him on the shoulder. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Chris and Stephanie left the house and kissed. They were going on their honeymoon of sorts and it was all so secretive and exciting for them. They were married and nobody had any idea. It was fun and they felt like two naughty teenagers running away together. Their other wedding would be beautiful and filled with laughter and friends, but this was just them, just them together.

They'd made the right decision.

In the car, Chris grabbed her left hand. He rubbed his thumb over her ring finger, the empty space he had occupied not even three hours ago. They were newlyweds and he couldn't wait until she could wear her ring all the time. They'd have to wait a couple weeks for that yet. In their impetuousness they hadn't thought about the little details like rings or the fact they _still_ had a wedding to plan. They couldn't tell anyone about what they'd done because people would be unhappy they missed it so they would have to go through the entire ceremony.

"What are you thinking about?" Stephanie asked as she squeezed his hand. His eyes had been squinted looking out the window and while at first she thought his concentration was solely on the road, she realized that he was actually paying little attention to the road in front of him and more on something else, something else entirely.

"I'm just thinking about how we're going to have to do this all over again."

"What? Have a honeymoon?" she laughed. "I don't think I'm going to mind having a honeymoon again if it means I get to be alone with you."

He chuckled at that and brought her hand up to his lips. He kissed the back of her palm. "No, that's not what I was talking about or thinking about, but now that you mention it, that's a definite perk, although paying for two honeymoons, not so good. I was thinking about the ceremony itself, you know, how we have to do it all over again."

"Is that a problem? Because we're kind of already married so if you're having second thoughts, they're too late."

"I'm not, trust me, I have not come this far only to call it off now and I'm not looking to have the world's shortest marriage. I just think it's going to be funny, standing up there, saying these vows, knowing we're already married. I mean, do we tell the reverend? Does he have to know we're already married?"

"I don't think so."

"But he's not going to be the one signing the marriage license. We've already gotten it signed, so we at least have to tell him, right? And what about the people we were going to use as our witnesses, don't we have to tell them?"

"You're over-thinking this," she told him. "Today is not all about the practicalities of our other ceremony. It's not to think about what we have to do. We'll just plan the wedding as it is and if we have to tell the reverend we tell him. We can have another copy of the marriage license and have our witnesses sign that. They're never going to see our wedding certificate, right? So we don't have to tell them."

"I guess you're right."

"Come on, we're married!" Stephanie exclaimed happily. "You and I have come so far. Stop thinking and worrying. Tonight is about you and me and the fact that you're my husband."

Stephanie was giddy at the thought. Chris had loved her in ways she couldn't even imagine. He had been her friend first and maybe that was why things felt so good now. They had something established before they'd ever been together and that was such a warm thought. When she needed a friend, Chris was there for her. He understood her in ways that Hunter never had and she only loved him all the more for that.

She and Hunter were never meant to work, they both knew that now. They were doomed to fail from the very beginning. The circumstances of their marriage should have served as a big red flag for that fact, but she'd spent so much time trying to make it work. Even after she'd found out she was pregnant with Chris's baby she'd tried to make it work. It seemed so silly now, thinking back to that. Could she really have gone the rest of her life, the _rest_ of her life pretending like Tristan was Hunter's? It wouldn't be forgetting in a day or a week, it would've been the rest of her life. Could she have given Chris that kind of heartbreak for the rest of _his_? Why had she tried to fix something that was so broken?

She could've had so much more time with Chris, but the end result, she believed, was always going to be the same. She was always going to be with Chris. Tristan was proof positive of that. Tristan was like a guide, showing her the true path. If she was meant to have children with Hunter, she would have had children with Hunter. So this was the right path for her.

"We're here," Chris said.

She looked out at the quaint little bed and breakfast. "How did you manage to wrangle this up?"

"Wrangle?" he asked, giving her a sidelong glance.

"Don't tease," she chastised gently. "I'm your wife now, you should think me saying stuff like that is endearing."

"I think everything about you is endearing to be quite frank," he said gallantly. "As for how I booked this place, well, let's just say that I have connections you don't even know about so you and I are going to stay here for the night and I'm sure it's going to be girly and romantic and just what you want."

"Who said I liked girly and romantic?" Stephanie pouted.

"Well, all those _Glamour_ and _Vogue_ magazines say stuff like that."

"Oh because those are the bastions for good taste," Stephanie said. She paused and grinned, "I do sometimes like girly and romantic."

"Then let me whisk you away," Chris winked.

Stephanie giggled at his cheesiness. She liked this side of him. She could tell he was feeling the exact same way she was. There was this lingering adrenaline rush to their secret wedding. It was like they were thieves or some kind of criminal on the run except they weren't of course. He grabbed her hand and led her into the old-fashioned house that looked straight out of a book like _Little Women_. She almost thought she'd walk inside and smell some baking bread.

They were given their room key and Chris took her upstairs and then grabbed her in his arms again, carrying her into the room and depositing her on the bed. He crawled over top of her and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the boxes their wedding rings were in and he took hers out and slipped it back on her finger slowly, watching as the light from the window streamed in and glinted off the shiny metal. He looked down at her meaningfully and she smiled up at him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She hated to get emotional, but she couldn't help it. They'd made it. They'd made it so far.

"I like the sound of Stephanie McMahon-Jericho, don't you?"

"Much more than Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley," she told him honestly. He beamed at that. Then she reached over and grabbed the other box. "If you'll allow me…"

"Always, madam," he told her as he held her hand to her. She took the ring and grabbed his ring finger, sliding it down until it reached his knuckle. "So whatever shall we do to pass the time in a room with no TV?"

Stephanie pulled him down closer and kissed him deeply. His hands were already in her blouse and she could feel the cool ring against her hot skin.

"I've got a few ideas."


	95. Chapter 95

They sat next to each other on the couch. Well, next to each other was a relative term at this point. There was about three feet between them. They were watching a movie right now and even though Lita could feel his eyes on her every now and again, he was still an arm's length away from her. She wanted to scoot closer herself, but she felt as if it would be too forward of her even though they had gone out and they were going to Chris and Stephanie's wedding together.

There was just something about being in her house that made him nervous. He'd been staying here a couple of days, but it still felt so strange. They weren't sleeping together, he was in the guest room, but they could feel this pull between each other and it was getting harder to resist. Hunter didn't want to push things because she was technically still married and he knew she cared about Matt, loved him even. She was also pregnant with another man's kid, a situation he strangely found himself in again.

Lita scooted a little closer to Hunter, then stopped. Every few moments, she would scoot just a tiny bit closer. She wasn't sure Hunter was aware of what she was doing, his eyes were so trained on the television in front of him. Finally, after much scooting over, she was next to him. She decided that she needed to be the bold one and reached out for his arm and put it around her. She then snuggled up to his side, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Don't you think this is much better?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah, I actually do," he told her, pulling her a little closer as they continued to watch television.

It was easy to pretend they could have this all the time when they were sitting here. If they just didn't talk and didn't think, they could pretend like they'd always been a couple and maybe the baby she was carrying was his. She couldn't explain the attraction between her and Hunter. It was so utterly unexpected that she'd been unprepared for it. She'd been with Matt and Hunter was just that asshole married to Stephanie, but when she'd gotten to know him, she found him so different.

"So, did you and Matt talk while you were at the doctor's appointment?" He hadn't brought it up before so the close contact must have reassured her that he really wasn't unwanted here and if he wasn't unwanted, maybe his questions wouldn't be out of line.

"We talked a little bit," Lita told him with a sigh. "I wouldn't say that we had an honest-to-goodness conversation or anything. I guess we have to, at some point, I mean, I'm just not sure what I want, you know. I really like you and I'm very attracted to you, do you feel the same way?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, almost too eagerly for his liking. There was something about Lita that he liked and he was starting to think it was the fact she was different from him. If he admitted it to himself, he was a rigid guy, but Lita was anything but rigid. He didn't like using terms like "free spirit," but she just wasn't as tied down as he was. She floated from thing to thing, like a wind, never deciding on any one point being good enough.

"Well, good, see, the problem is, the _big_ problem is this kid," Lita said, rubbing her stomach. "Not that it's not unwanted or anything, it's really not. I want my kid and I'm going to love the hell out of it. I just...when I think about it, when I think about my relationship with Matt, I keep going back to thinking, 'am I giving my kid a fair shot?' I think that's what's really holding me back."

"Holding you back from what? Breaking up with Matt?" he wondered.

"Yeah," Lita admitted. "I hate thinking it, I feel like even just thinking it is bad karma or that my baby can hear my thoughts and it's thinking, 'what the hell, my mom doesn't love my dad,' and that's not the case, I do love Matt, I'm just not sure that he's right for me anymore."

"I'm sorry this happened."

"I'm really not," Lita told him, grabbing his hand and holding it in hers. "If we work out, if we're like supposed to be together, then I want to be with you, I don't want to hold back because of what could happen. If you're who I'm supposed to be with and all this just led me to you in a weird, convoluted way, then it'll have been worth it just to be with you."

"You really mean that?"

"Everyone deserves that person and maybe mine isn't Matt and maybe I'm not Matt's. What's holding me back from this, from all of this is my baby. I just keep thinking, am I being fair? I know that some people stay together for their kids and I always thought that was so sad, like, if they were so unhappy, why would they let their kids dictate their lives like that, kids are resilient, surely they can get through something like that and come out okay on the other end."

"And now your opinion has changed?"

"I guess it has. It's worse because this kid isn't even born yet and already I'm separated from my husband? This kid might not even be born into a stable situation. Is it fair to give my kid nothing like what any of the other kids might have or have had? Getting divorced when I'm pregnant? It just feels weird and almost wrong."

"I will gladly take myself out of the picture," Hunter said. He'd done it once before with Stephanie and Tristan. He'd given them up because he knew that it was time to let go. The feeling was stronger here though. He really didn't want to leave Lita. If she told him to go, he would, but he would be upset by it. Somehow, his feelings for her were intensified in a way they had never been with Stephanie. Still, Lita _was_ pregnant and like keeping Tristan from Stephanie, he didn't want to keep Lita's baby from having two parents that loved him or her.

Lita closed her eyes, "I don't want that though."

"You don't want me out of the picture?"

"I want you very much _in_ the picture and therein lies the problem, I don't think you'd want to share me with Matt, unless you would, which would be very weird," she joked.

"I'd rather not share you, if that's at all possible," he told her. "I mean, I'll share you with the kid, but sharing you with another guy, not really my cup of tea to be honest."

"So are you issuing me an ultimatum?" she wondered coyly.

"No, I just want you to be happy with whatever you choose. I know that what we have here is increasingly...odd, but I really do like you, Lita and I don't want it to end."

"I don't either."

"So what do we do?" he asked.

"Do you think it's awful if I got divorced before my child is born? I mean, do you think that makes me a failure, I really don't want to be a failure," she said, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm scared of failing my kid before I even _have_ my kid. What kind of start will it have if I divorce its father before it even enters the world."

"I don't think your kid is going to love you any less for that. In fact, I don't know, maybe the kid will understand one day why you made or will make the choices you do. If you stay with Matt and you're not happy and you end up divorcing him somewhere down the line how is it any different. The fact of the matter is that you're both going to love the hell out of this kid and take care of it. There are plenty of ways to do that."

"You're right, I just...I see people who are married and I see people who are divorced and I wanted to be in the married camp."

"Sometimes things don't work out, look, you will figure it all out," he said, tilting her face towards him. "In the meantime, we can get to know each other and hang out and it doesn't have to go any further than you want it to. I know you care about Matt, love him even and I'm not asking you to just drop everything and be with me. I want you to be with me if you want to, no other reason."

"You're wonderful, you know that," she told him. "You should really show this side of you around the arena more, I think people would really warm up to you."

"I don't care what other people think, I rather like them being afraid of me."

"Why would you like that?"

"Because then I don't have to deal with people's BS," he told her. "I just stick to myself and what I want to do. It doesn't mean that I go home and be the same guy. I really don't."

"You don't because you're amazing," she told him. "You're sweet and supportive and...tell me again why Stephanie left you? Because I'm seeing great guy here."

"What happened with Stephanie is what made me the man I am today," Hunter told her. "She's the reason I am who I am right now."

"Because she left you?"

"Because she showed me how I could lose something very big by doing something very stupid," he answered. "When I cheated on her, it was fun, you know, exciting, risky. I guess I got caught up in that, it was something different and I wanted to push the limit to what I could get away with. Then Stephanie caught me and left me and I realized, you know, I've been an idiot, I could be ruining something potentially amazing for what? A fling at most? Then she ended up pregnant and everything changed. I had this kid on the way and everything and I wanted to be different, better, not the guy I was who hurt her."

"Then you found out she wasn't yours..."

"That's where the real change happened. I didn't hate Stephanie for what happened. I did for a few minutes, but then realized that she had done what I'd done, hers just had more permanent consequences. But that hurt I felt was the same hurt she felt and I never wanted anyone go through that on account of me and I guess...I guess here I am, changed, but no better, really."

"What do you mean 'no better'? I certainly think you're better."

"Well, I kind of drove you into my arms, didn't I? You were married and now, I guess part of it is my fault."

"No," she said, "no..."

She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, his stubble tickling her hand as she brushed it across his skin. She couldn't believe she was in this position with Hunter Hearst Helmsley of all people. She'd never expected him to be such a strong force in her life. At best, she thought they would be acquaintances since they had mutual friends in Chris and Stephanie, but this, this she didn't expect. Here she was, sitting with him, gazing at his face and actually finding him...attractive...actually wanting to...kiss him. Yes, she wanted to kiss him.

"Li..." he whispered and there was permission-seeking in his words. She nodded just slightly and he in turn started to lean in closer, his nose just bumping hers before slipping beside it as his lips sought hers out. She was pregnant with another man's baby and she was about to kiss someone she'd considered an enemy for so long. Still, she didn't care. She wanted to kiss him.

She wanted this so she brought her face a few centimeters closer until their lips were touching and she let her lips feel out his before they both opened their mouth slightly for deeper exploration. They tasted and guided and learned and if Lita were standing, it might leave her weak in the knees. Had she felt this with Matt? She couldn't remember because Matt was quickly being supplanted with thoughts of Hunter and Hunter's hands lightly caressing the space just in front of her ears.

The kiss was wonderful and frightening all wrapped up into one. She was frightened because she could easily tell the intensity of feeling between them and if it was like this every time they kissed, she could never go back to Matt because this was splendid and heady and warm and she wanted more of this, all of this. She started to pull Hunter down over her on the couch and she had no regrets at all for what she was doing.

She was making the right choice.


	96. Chapter 96

A/N: Starting to get back into the updating groove, hope this came out okay. I feel like this story is starting to wind down and it makes me so sad because this was my first ever Smoochy story and it holds a special place in my heart, but I guess all good things must end. Hope you're still enjoying this and leave a review if you want, I love them. Enjoy. :)

* * *

"You and Lita kissed?"

Hunter nodded, looking down sheepishly. Stephanie couldn't tell if that was because he was embarrassed that he'd kissed an essentially married woman or because he was really pleased that he and Lita had finally taken that next step in their relationship. Stephanie wasn't sure which one she wanted it to be. On the one hand, after everything that happened between the two of them, she wanted good things for Hunter, but on the other hand, it felt weird to think that he was going after someone who was still married. She knew this kind of mirrored her own situation with Hunter when she had been with Chris, but it felt different from the other side.

"Yeah, we did, well, a little more than kissed, but not much," Hunter added quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea about him and Lita. "We didn't have sex or anything like that."

Stephanie found herself laughing. "Sorry, it's just funny that you had to add that."

"I mean, I like her a lot, a _lot_, but I'm not going to rush something like that. I've made that mistake before and I'm not going to do that again."

"Are you talking about us?" she asked curiously.

"Actually, no, I wasn't talking about us, but now that you mention it, we did rush into our relationship. I mean, one second we were hating each other because I drugged you and married you and then the next second we're in love…or whatever it was that we were in."

"I don't know, lust, in it for power or something," she said, "but who were you talking about then?"

"Stacy, actually," Hunter said. "I think I could've loved Stacy. I think that I actually did love her, now that I have time to look back and reflect on it. I really cared about her and I guess…no, I know I didn't go about it in the right way. I completely messed up that situation. I hid her and now…well, she doesn't like me anymore."

"But I'm sensing that you're not unhappy about that," Stephanie told him slyly.

Hunter started to blush and Stephanie grinned. She'd never actually seen Hunter blush before and it was perhaps the most endearing thing she'd ever seen. "You know, if you had been like this when we were married, I think we could've made it."

"What?" he said, looking up at her. He didn't get what she was saying. Did she think that they really could have had a chance? That was a new one.

"I'm just saying that looking at you now, you're not that hard, intense Hunter. Lita has softened you," he opened his mouth to speak and she held her hand up to stop him. "Not in a bad way, in a good way, trust me. It's like, you're human now, not that you weren't before, but just…you're just different, I can see it."

"Well, you do know me."

"I know, but I think this is something that everyone can see," Stephanie said.

"I just wish it wasn't at the expense of Matt," Hunter said regretfully, another emotion she didn't think she'd ever seen on Hunter's face. Something about Lita had changed him, but maybe it wasn't _just_ Lita. Maybe everything that happened had changed him. Maybe it was losing her, losing Tristan, losing Stacy…maybe all of that had shaped the man sitting before her and she had to say she wasn't against this change. He was a good guy and she was seeing that everyone was seeing that now.

"I know, but I mean, you can't help who you fall in love with, Hunter. Not saying that you're in love with her or anything."

"I don't know, I certainly feel _something_ for her, but I feel like there's also something holding me back and I know exactly what it is. It's her baby," he said, biting his lip just the tiniest bit. "Don't you think a kid should have both their parents?"

"Just because they won't be together doesn't mean that they both can't be parents."

"Yeah, but they won't be living together. Even when you and Chris weren't together, you lived together so you could both have access to Tristan."

"That's true, but that's a unique situation," she said. "We were different, there was something between Chris and I and I just hated that I'd kept her away from him in the first place."

"Which is exactly what I'm doing!"

"Hunter, stop beating yourself up over this. The situation will work itself out, I promise. Things like this usually do, okay?" Stephanie told him.

The door opened behind Hunter and Chris walked in, "Hello, Mrs. Jericho…to be," he added as he saw Hunter sitting there. "Hey, man, what are you doing in here?"

"He's have another crisis."

"Another one?"

"He kissed Lita."

"Whoa, you did?" Chris said, slapping Hunter on the back as he passed. "Good job, man."

"No, not good job, she's married."

"Separated, big difference," Chris told him, leaning against the wall behind Stephanie. "I mean, you and Stephanie were kind of separated when we slept together, I think her finding you in bed with someone else pretty much means you're separated. She's not with Matt right now, separated."

"He feels like scum."

"Don't," Chris said. "You feel what you feel."

"Yeah, I guess," he said, wanting to change the subject. "So how are the wedding plans going, it's getting down to crunch time. You should be more frazzled, Steph, like one of those brides who is constantly yelling at people or something."

Stephanie smiled sneakily and glanced up at Chris as she shrugged. "I'm not feeling much stress. I'm just going to let the day happens as it happens. It's not that big a deal."

"Not that big a deal? Haven't you guys been waiting for this forever, well, pretty long at least? After everything you two have been through, I thought you guys would've been more excited than you are."

"Oh, don't get us wrong," Chris said, "we're very excited, but we realize that we shouldn't freak out about it. We just want a nice happy day where we can celebrate our marriage and our friends can celebrate with us as well."

"Yeah, I guess," Hunter said suspiciously. "If I didn't know any better…never-mind."

"No, what were you going to say?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing, I don't know, you guys just don't seem very enthused about your wedding, like something happened…I can't quite put my finger on it, are you guys okay?"

"What makes you think we're not okay?" Chris wondered. Maybe because he and Stephanie were nonplussed about their wedding people would start to think there were problems in paradise. That was actually a pretty funny thought. Maybe he and Stephanie should pretend to hate each other or something and make everyone think that the wedding was going to be called off and then on the day, they could be extremely lovey-dovey or something. He chuckled a little at that thought.

"Well, you did come in here and didn't kiss her or anything." Chris wanted to laugh. Maybe Hunter was just a more physical guy than he was, but he didn't think he had to kiss Stephanie every time he saw her. Maybe if he did pretend like he didn't like Stephanie it would be a great joke for everyone. They didn't plan on telling anyone that they were already married, but what if they let everyone in on it at the wedding. But no, that felt rude, like they had thought themselves so special that they didn't want anyone there with them at their wedding, like they were too good for a wedding. They didn't want to hurt their parents' feelings most of all. Stephanie had married Hunter under strange circumstances so her parents had never seen her get married either and they knew it meant something to their parents.

"I don't have to kiss her every time I see her."

"He doesn't," Stephanie added.

"Where's Tristan by the way?"

"She's with her grandma," Stephanie said. "My mom is here tonight and of course the first thing she wanted to do was spend time with her granddaughter. You think we're mad at each other?"

"No, I don't know," he said, "you guys just aren't as excited as I thought you would be."

"We're excited," Chris protested. "I'm super excited to be married to this woman. I think married life is really going to suit me. I think I'm meant to be a husband. I think I'll be good at it…great at it, really. I just…yeah, I think I'm going to do a fantastic job."

"Nice to see you aren't cocky," Stephanie said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, well, I'll leave you guys alone. I might go find Lita and--"

"Make out with her?" Chris joked.

"No," Hunter said, obviously not getting the joke and looking a little stricken to boot.

"You do know Matt is coming to our wedding so it's not like you're going to be hiding or something. He'll be there and we both know that you and Lita are coming together. Does Matt know this?" Chris asked.

"I don't know," Hunter said, as if the thought had not popped in his mind at all. "I really don't know. Damn it, I didn't even think of that."

"Matt's my friend, of course he would come to my wedding, I went to…"

"We're just saying that you guys will have to see each other at some point," Stephanie interrupted quickly before Chris could finish his sentence and say that he had gone to Matt's wedding.

"Yeah, I know," Hunter said, pushing himself up from his chair. "I'll see you guys later."

As soon as the door closed, Stephanie was up and in Chris's arms, "Hello, Mr. Jericho, that was very close, I thought when he was saying we weren't excited that he was going to guess that we were married. Not that I would've minded, I guess, but I don't want anyone to know, I'm having so much fun being secretly married."

"This is only temporary, you know," Chris said, pressing his forehead against hers. "We're not going to be secretly married forever."

She pouted, "But it's so much fun." She added a little smile to make sure he knew she was joking.

"Only a little fun," he said. "I just love that we're married though. Have I told you today how happy I am that we're married?"

"No, but you can say it now."

"I'm really happy I married you," he told her. "I'm glad that we have something that's just ours. I feel like our relationship has been so much on display, especially with Tristan's paternity that having something that's just ours is just what we need."

They both thought back to that show where Hunter had tried to take Tristan out to the ring, where Chris felt like he was going to absolutely lose Tristan. Hunter was going to lay claim to her and it was finally all over for him. Then Stephanie had come out and told Hunter and the world that Tristan was not Hunter's. It was the turning point for all of them, setting them on this course where he and Stephanie were married and Hunter was becoming a decent and caring human being. Even though everything had worked out for them, they still wished it hadn't come out in quite that way. There had to have been a better way to get to where they were than to have the entire world know he slept with Stephanie while she was technically still with Hunter. That's why privacy was such an important thing for them now.

"I agree, husband," she grinned. "And for the record, you are a fantastic husband so far."

He laughed, "Thank you very much. You're a great wife."

"I've had practice," she joked. He grabbed her around the waist and leaned down to kiss her. "I love you," she told him.

"I love you too. So I've been thinking…"

"What have you been thinking?"

"Well…maybe we should play a little practical joke…"


	97. Chapter 97

A/N: I know it's been a while for an update of this story, so I hope you like the chapter. This story is definitely winding down, which is a little sad, but it'll be nice to finish it since you know, I should probably finish my first story ever. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter and review if you feel like it. :)

* * *

"Now aren't you glad we didn't go through with your silly prank?"

Chris glanced at Stephanie as he pulled his hair back into a ponytail. She'd insisted that he not wear it down for their wedding rehearsal nor for their wedding. She normally liked it down, but figuring that this was a special occasion, she said she would rather have it up and he agreed to it. He wanted everything to go perfect for her. It wasn't even necessarily for himself, but rather, he wanted her to get the day she'd been dreaming of for so long.

He was a guy and as such, he didn't really care too much about the semantics of the wedding. He'd chosen some things, went food tasting and cake tasting and everything, but for the details, he left it to Stephanie. Even though he and Stephanie were already married, they knew their families and friends deserved to have a nice party. He had to admit, after the wedding they'd had, Stephanie had relaxed a lot about the wedding. She didn't become a bridezilla, but was calm and happy.

Now they were on their way to their wedding rehearsal, their rings with his best man and not on their fingers, where they were whenever they were alone. He'd gotten used to the ring so he was happy to be slipping it on her finger tomorrow and her slipping his on so he wouldn't have to take it off again. That was the part he really looked forward too because what else was there, really? He and Stephanie had been married for weeks now and they were settling into their routine. It was just everyone else who had to catch up on the information.

"I still think it would have been funny."

"Oh yes, I'm so sure, making your mother think that we hated each other and were calling off the wedding, I can see where everyone would think that was just hilarious. It's better this way. We get to have a nice reception and ceremony."

"I thought the first one went quite well," he told her, leaning down to kiss her as she put an earring in her ear. "You look beautiful by the way. I know I tell you that all the time, but I just wanted to tell you again."

"Thanks," she told him, "you look very handsome."

"I wasn't fishing for compliments," he told her, rolling up the sleeves to his dress shirt. They wanted to be nice for tonight, but they also wanted it to be semi-casual so Chris was just in a dress shirt and some nice slacks while Stephanie was wearing a flowing sundress that fell to slightly above her knees.

"I know you weren't, but I just wanted to say it anyways."

"I also think our first wedding went well, but this time we get to have a huge party and it'll be fun and we can look the part and everything. I think I can be enthusiastic for our second wedding, how about you?" she asked.

"Oh, hmm, look happy while being married to you? Yes, I think that I can manage that just fine," Chris laughed. "Okay, Trist, are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Tristan said, jumping on the bed. She was wearing a sundress like her mother, but instead of the yellow Stephanie was sporting, Tristan's was a deep purple. She was jumping on the bed as she hadn't had her shoes put on yet. "Yay!"

"Well a big yay to you too," Chris said as he caught her in mid-air. She was surprised and looked at him and he made a face at her. "Okay, my wife and child, off to dinner!"

They got their things ready and headed off to the restaurant where they were having their rehearsal dinner. Everyone was going to be there and it was just going to be like a pre-party to the real party the next day. Stephanie and Chris were footing the bill for the entire wedding so they wanted everyone to have a great time. It was a celebration of their relationship after all and everyone should have a great time. They were the first ones there since it was their party. They set up some things, gift bags for the guests and the gifts they had bought for their groomsmen and bridesmaids respectively. People started to trickle in and Chris and Stephanie greeted them accordingly.

Everyone was around mingling, Tristan being passed from person to person, everyone doting at her as she smiled and acted bashful, but was really soaking up every ounce of attention she could get. When Lita and Hunter walked in, hand in hand, the room stilled for just a moment, or so it seemed to the two of them. Nobody else seemed to notice them slip in, but to them, it was like everyone was staring at them. She almost had the inkling to just drop his hand, but he gave her an encouraging squeeze and she looked over at him gratefully. Knowing that he was there with her made things a little easier. But it wouldn't be _that_ easy because Lita was one of the bridesmaids and she'd have to sit at the head table, a few seats down from her estranged husband.

She rested her hands on her stomach, where it came to rest on the bump that was a sign of the growing child inside her, the child she had with her estranged husband, while she was holding hands with another man. She took a deep breath and Hunter gave her another squeeze of the hand and they walked forward. Stephanie seemed to part the crowd as she walked over to the both of them, a huge grin on her face. She was happy to see them there. She knew they'd come, but there was a part of her that thought they might just make a cameo and then leave. She leaned up to kiss Hunter's cheek amicably and then hugged Lita.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it," Stephanie said, her arms on both their shoulders. "I was afraid you wouldn't show or something."

"Well, we're here," Hunter said, eyes darting around the room. "I…We didn't want to miss it, considering that Li's in the wedding party and everything."

"I'm glad you did decide to have a wedding party," Lita said, "I'm really honored that you thought so highly of me."

"Well, ever since Chris and I had Tristan, you've been such a good friend to me, you _and_ Trish and it just didn't feel right to not have you guys in my wedding. You've been amazing to the both of us. Hunter, you would've probably been in the wedding party too if, you know, you weren't my ex-husband," she joked and he gave a light laugh.

"Yeah, that might be a little awkward," Hunter said.

Stephanie noticed him looking around furtively. "He _is_ here. I mean, he kind of has to be, but he's here already."

"Is he…alone?" Lita asked. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if he wasn't. She thinks she would be relieved to know that he was moving on as well. She knew their relationship was in the toilet and it was two seconds away from being flushed, but she still cared for him, loved him even. She thought she'd been _in_ love with him. She wouldn't have married him if she wasn't sure. Then Hunter had to go and change in front of her eyes and become this man who she could not see herself without.

She hadn't meant for it to be like that. She had been one of those people who thought marriage was a lifetime. Yes, that made her somewhat of a dreamer, but she'd always had her head in the clouds. That's why she'd waited so long with Matt. She'd wanted to be sure and she thought she was. Now she was on the verge of divorce, separated from her husband, with whom she was having a child and with a man who was quickly becoming something akin to a soulmate. That thought kind of shocked her. She'd never used the term before, but when she looked at Hunter, she saw infinite possibility.

"Yeah, he's alone," Stephanie answered. "But you guys, _please_ have fun tonight. I don't want you guys to have a horrible time. Tonight is not about drama or anything related to it. Tonight is about me, Chris, and Tristan. Just enjoy yourselves."

"We'll try," Lita nodded. Stephanie nodded as well, as if she was satisfied by the answer and then she gave them a parting smile before she left. She walked straight over to where Chris was and hugged him around the waist, startling him as he looked to Edge, whom he had been speaking too. Chris awkwardly hugged her back and then kissed her head.

"What is the hug for?"

"For being you," she told him, her voice muffled by his shirt. He shrugged at Edge, who laughed.

"Should I maybe leave you two alone?" he asked jokingly.

"No," Stephanie said, turning so her face was showing. "I'm just showing my appreciation to my husband."

She hadn't even caught her slip, but Chris's eyes widened at the term. Stephanie still didn't even realize what she'd said. "Wow, you're pretty eager," Edge said. "Already calling Chris your husband."

"What?" Stephanie said.

"You said Chris was your husband," Edge laughed. "I know you want to marry the man, but let him have his last night of bachelorhood."

"I'm ready for that to be over," Chris said, covering for Stephanie, whose face was burning up with embarrassment. She'd been trying the phrase on for size earlier, saying Mrs. Chris Jericho, Stephanie McMahon-Jericho, this is my husband, Chris, all day now that she'd finally be able to say it and it must have stuck in her brain.

"I can't believe you're not even having a bachelor party," Edge said, shaking his head. "Come on, man, after this is over, we just head on over to a strip club or something, hell, we could hit up New York and just have one more night."

"You _are_ aware that I'm here, right?" Stephanie asked.

"It would be well within the boundaries," Edge said. "We'd just hang out, celebrate your last night of being an officially unattached man. Don't worry, Steph, I'll make sure he doesn't fall for some stripper."

"Thank you," she said drolly, then looked up at Chris. "If you want, you can go out tonight, I really don't mind at all."

"Nah," Chris said. "That's not really my scene anymore. I mean, yes, strippers are nice to look at, but then you start to think about why they started stripping in the first place, if they're on drugs, do they deal with STD's, are they hookers on the side and it's just a whole mess."

"But then you have the rare stripper with a heart of gold," Edge pointed out. "And don't ruin my stripper fantasies with reality, please."

"Sorry, dude," Chris said, kissing Stephanie's forehead. "I've got myself a keeper right here. Hell, she's awesome for even just letting me have permission to go to a strip show."

"I don't really care if you look at naked women as long as you don't sleep with them."

"You are going to be the most awesome wife," Edge said.

"I know," Chris said, kissing her again.

"Are you guys going to sleep separately tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm staying in a separate location," Stephanie said. "Just to keep with tradition."

"Even though I hate it and think it's a stupid idea."

"Well, whatever, tomorrow and you two will be chained together for life, good luck with that and think about tonight, dude, seriously, just go out." Edge walked away and Stephanie hugged Chris tighter.

"What's really up?"

"Nothing, I just want to be around you, make sure that you still want to marry me as much as I want to marry you."

"Considering we're already married," he whispered, "I'm going to go with a resounding yes on that one. Why, do you want to divorce me?"

His tone was joking, but she looked at him seriously. "No, never. When you know it's right, you know it's right and nothing is going to change that for me. We're in this together and there is just no other place I'd rather be than with you."

He was about to answer when everyone started clinking their glasses and Chris and Stephanie turned to everyone, who in turn was looking at them, calling for a speech. Chris laughed and grabbed his beer that he'd had on the table next to him. It seemed that everyone was there and the dinner was going to be starting in about ten minutes so now seemed like an ample time to make a speech. He looked to Stephanie, who looked at him and raised her eyebrows, prodding him to make a toast.

"Well, um," he started. "We just wanted to thank everyone for coming and sharing tonight with us and sharing tomorrow with us. We know Stephanie and I have never gone the conventional road with our relationship, but we feel like we're finally on track, that we've got something good. It's just…I think when you find what you want, whatever you want, you just know. Stephanie was saying that earlier and I have to agree. When you know something is right, it doesn't matter if it's been a day, a week, whatever, you just know. Then it's your choice to do something about it. I know Stephanie is it and she knows it and so now we're all here. So thanks for being part of this crazy, hectic, sometimes confusing story. Steph, do you want to say anything?"

"Just…thanks."


	98. Chapter 98

A/N: Only a couple more chapters left, I hope you've been enjoying the story and if you want to review, awesome and thanks, enjoy! :)

* * *

"God, I wish I could have a drink right about now."

Stephanie looked sympathetically over at Lita. "I know how you feel. When I was pregnant with Tristan, everything was so up in the air that I just wanted to drink something, anything, but I couldn't."

"Yeah, that's exactly how I feel," Lita said.

"Why don't we go somewhere the bar isn't?" Stephanie said, grabbing Lita's hand and dragging her outside. "So what's up?"

"You can't feel the immense tension simmering in that room?" Lita asked, sitting down on a stone bench.

Stephanie laughed and sat next to her, "I'm sorry, Li, but I think a lot of that was you imagining something was going on. Not that I blame you in the slightest. When I was trying to hide Tristan's paternity, I swear that every second I was paranoid I was going to slip or that Tristan would look a little too much like Chris and then everyone would know."

"I just feel ad, you know, horrible about it all."

"Sounds like you've come to a pretty definitive decision," Stephanie said, patting her leg. "This talk doesn't sound like someone who is still thinking things over. You're not, are you?"

Lita shook her head. "I'm…I'm fairly…no, I'm _sure_ that I'm in love with Hunter. I never thought I'd say those words of course, but I really feel it and it's so much more intense than what I felt for Matt. I mean, I loved Matt, I did, but the love I have for Hunter feels more real, more substantial. I think I didn't want to see it because we were so different, I guess I just believed he was the jackass that everyone thought he was and it was easy to put him in that mold."

Stephanie thought back to her and Hunter. They had seemed so compatible in the beginning. They liked the same things pretty much, but more importantly they had the same drive. They were career-driven people and that bonded them, but was it a relationship borne out of love, not at all. It was borne out of a need to have power, to be the best at something. They both loved that and she thought that could sustain them, but it couldn't.

She and Chris were comparable to Lita and Hunter. One the surface, she and Chris seemed to have nothing in common. Chris was more laidback than she was, he was more spontaneous and his personality was as far from hers as possible, but they worked. It wasn't necessarily always about how compatible you were with someone, if you shared the same interests or hobbies, it was just if you loved someone and wanted the same basic things as someone else, everything would work itself out in the end. She felt great with Chris and she had less in common with him than she did with Hunter.

"Just because you have stuff in common with someone doesn't mean they're right for you."

"I've learned that," Lita said. "Believe me."

"Are you happy with Hunter?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Then you should be with him."

"Lita?"

Lita looked over her shoulder and saw Matt standing there. She stood up quickly and faced him, the nerves written all over her face. Stephanie stood up as well and looked between the two of them. Matt gave her a pointed look and she slipped back into the party, leaving Matt and Lita alone. Lita stood there as Matt walked over to her, placing his hand on her arm and guiding her back down to the stone bench she'd just been sitting on. They stayed there for a long moment, just staring out into the night.

"How's the baby?"

"They're doing well," she said. "I have an appointment in a couple weeks, I'd like for you to be there if you can be."

"I want to be there," he told her with a slight nod. "I've been trying to find you all evening, kind of felt like you were hiding."

She could try and lie and say that wasn't exactly what she was doing, but it would be a lie. She was trying to avoid him. Whenever she saw him even remotely near her, she would book it in the other direction. It was fortunate for her that she wasn't farther along so she could still walk away quickly and not waddle away. Everything about her pregnancy still felt a little surreal. She hadn't yet gotten to enjoy it because everything else in her life was filled with turmoil. She just wanted to enjoy having a baby.

"I was," she said. "I guess I just didn't know what to say."

"It's not going to work out between us, is it?" he said point blank.

She sighed deeply and looked over at him, grabbing his hand before she went back to staring straight ahead. "I don't think it is."

"What happened, Li?" he wondered. "I thought that we were together and happy and that we were going to have that incredible married life that we'd always imagined having. I thought we were going to have it all, you know. I mean, we pretty much did, right, with the marriage and the kid on the way. We did have _it_ for a while."

"Yeah, but it was like living in a fool's paradise, nothing is as it seems. I guess, I guess we just thought everything was convenient, you know," she said. "We're so much alike we thought that was all we needed, all we'd ever need and we fooled ourselves into settling for that. Oh, well, it's so easy to be with him, it must be love when…I don't know, I guess you just felt…not right."

"Great," he mumbled.

"Not like that, Matt," Lita said. "Never like that. I just mean that while I love you, I guess I never felt that great love of my life feeling I think is supposed to come with love. I think Chris feels that for Stephanie and maybe Jeff feels that for Trish, maybe, but I never really felt that way for you and I'm sorry you have to hear that, but…did you feel it with me?"

"I thought I did, but the more we're apart, the more I wonder why, you know."

"I know," she said.

"Do you want a divorce?" he asked.

"I think so," she answered and it broke her heart to say it. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he told her, though it wasn't. There was something so wrong about all of this. When you got married, it wasn't supposed to feel this way. "I won't contest it or anything, I just would like to have joint custody of our child."

"Absolutely," she told him, "I want you there, for all of it, I want you to be the daddy and get to do all of those daddy things with them. That is never something I would keep from you, ever. We're in this together, that's all there is to it."

"Thank you," he said.

"I could never deny you that."

"Are you in love with Hunter?"

"Yeah, I am," she told him, feeling like she owed him the truth. "I didn't want to sugarcoat that, but I do. I love him and I love being with him and I'm sorry you had to hear that, I really am, but I just can't deny how I feel about him anymore and I don't really want to."

"It's fine, look, Li, I love you, I do and I want you to be happy, that's all I want for you, so just be happy and I'll try and do the same."

"Thank you," she said, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry things didn't work out between us, I really am. I never wanted things to end like this."

"I never wanted them to end," he said, kissing her cheek and then pulling away to give her a lopsided smile before he stood up and walked back inside, leaving her there by herself. Lita leaned over and covered her face with her hands. She wasn't a crier, but she felt like she'd cried more in the past few months than the whole of her life. She didn't want the tears to spill now though. But it was difficult keeping them at bay.

"Li?"

She looked up and saw Hunter and she smiled and opened her arms. He came over without question and hugged her. "Hey," she said, "sorry if you thought I ditched you."

There was everything right about being in Hunter's arms. Everything felt right in this moment. No matter the turmoil, the heartache, any and all of it, she just liked being in Hunter's arms. She thought to Stephanie and Hunter and couldn't imagine Stephanie feeling like this when she was with Hunter. If she had, she never would have given him up. That gave her more resolve. If Stephanie didn't feel this, maybe she was the only one who was supposed to feel this way about Hunter. Maybe that's why it felt so right in his arms, because she was the only one who was supposed to be here, always. There may have been some bumps in the road, some detours even, but when it came down to it, this was what was right.

She wondered if he felt it too, but she figured he did. It was in the way he looked at her and the way he held her like he was doing right now. She hadn't intended for this to happen, but maybe it was just always supposed to happen. Maybe they were just always supposed to happen, but like Chris and Stephanie, things just got in the way, but now, things were going to be better. Once she and Matt were divorced she and Hunter could really be everything. He was even willing to be with her while she carried another man's child, that told her everything she needed to know about his character right there.

"I didn't think you ditched me, was it getting to cramped inside?" he asked with concern in his voice. "I know it was kind of stuffy in there and with the pregnancy, I know that it can throw your whole body out of whack."

"You're too sweet thinking about me all the time like you do," she said, leaning against him. It was things like that, that endeared her to him even more.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he heard her sniffle. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing's the matter, I mean, not really. I just talked with Matt and we agreed that a divorce is probably in our best interest and I think it is the right decision for the both of us. I think we're at a place where it's just not going to work out."

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"It's not your fault, if it weren't for you, I don't know, I probably would've settled and been unhappy within a few years. You've saved me from that. You've saved me from a lot of things, Hunter and I'm really happy that I'm with you and I want to be _with_ you."

"Oh," he said. "So you want to make this official?" He sounded excited about it and if she was really thinking hard, she was excited about it as well. She was ready to take her relationship with Hunter farther and it seemed that she was going to get that chance very soon and she was excited for what the future would hold for the two of them.

"As soon as the divorce papers start, I would really like it if we could be together officially. I know that this wedding was a huge step for us regarding how we let other people see us, but I'd like to go even further as soon as we can."

"That sounds like…not that I'd rush you into anything," he added quickly. She laughed quietly at his embarrassment over his words. Hunter acting bashful, she never thought she'd see the day, but she liked the way he wore it. She kissed his cheek.

"It's not rushing if I want it."


	99. Chapter 99

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they really mean a lot to me. So this story is really wrapping up soon. This will be the second-to-last chapter most likely and so I really hope you enjoy it. It's been a long road that's near coming to a close, but I think it's finally time. So enjoy and review if you want to! :)

* * *

"It's almost over."

Stephanie swiveled her chair around to look at Chris. "What do you mean it's almost over? We _just_ got married like a week ago, are you tired of me already? Do you want a divorce?"

"No, I mean, the pretending that we _aren't_ married. The wedding is tomorrow and then we can just be a married couple instead of being a married couple in secret. I'll be glad to finally let myself call you my husband."

"You can call me your husband now," he told her charmingly as he shifted down the bed to lie on his stomach. "I'll be glad when that's over too. I want to call you my wife and lay claim on you."

"You make me sound like a mountain you want to conquer," she laughed. "Is that what you want to do with me, conquer me?"

"I like to think I've already conquered _that_ mountain," he said. "I'm surprised nobody has come in here to whisk you away because it's the night before the wedding and we really shouldn't see each other."

"I told everyone that it's a ridiculous tradition and in the end, it really doesn't matter because we're already married," Stephanie shrugged. "I'd rather spend this night with you anyways. I just want to be around you, make sure that this is all real and happening."

"Of course it's happening."

Stephanie stood up and walked over to the bed, lying down so she was facing Chris. Chris reached forward and took her hand in his, clasping them together tightly. He brought it up to his face and kissed her knuckles. She smiled at him and rubbed her thumb over his hand. They shared a quiet moment just being together the night before their traditional wedding. Tomorrow they would officially be married to the rest of the world. It was a long-coming moment, so much time in the making, but it was finally here.

"We've come a long way," she told him quietly. "A very long way."

"This is true," he said back, looking at her almost bashfully. "There were so many times I wanted to tell you so many things and I just couldn't, but now I can tell you anything."

"I'm still so sorry for what I did, you know that, right?"

"Steph, it's the past," Chris told her. "We're not going to go back there, remember?"

"I know, but it feels like a moment of reflection. I never wanted to hurt you and I would never purposefully hurt you. I know I did back then, but I promise never to do that again. I will _never _hurt you like I did before."

"I know," he nodded, "believe me, I know."

"You've changed me," she told him assertively so he couldn't argue.

He tried anyways, "What are you even talking about?"

"I'm serious, you've changed me," she told him. "For the better of course. I don't know where I would be without you. You've made me this person that I wouldn't recognize two years ago. I wasn't selfish or anything like that, not much. It was more just like…I guess…I don't know, having Tristan changed me and then when we were together, I just…I'm happier now, does that make sense.

It made perfect sense because he was happier now too and he couldn't even explain what was so happy to him. Everything all at once, all the emotions he and Stephanie shared, his little girl, she made him so happy. Everything was wrapping up in one part of his life, but the next part of his life was really beginning. Sure, he and Stephanie were already married, so the new part had started, but it was in secret, behind closed doors. Tomorrow, it would be out there and they could truly start this new facet of his life.

If you had asked him that night he got locked into a room with Stephanie if he would marry that woman and have a child with her, he would have thrown up and then beat up whoever said it. Now it was all ever wanted; she and Tristan were all he ever wanted right now and it was such a change. His world had changed and now he was on the cusp of it changing again. He never expected forever with Stephanie, never anticipated it when he started wrestling or came to the WWF, but it was here now and he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"I'm happier too. At some point I was going to have to settle down and it might as well be with you," Chris said cheekily and she rolled her eyes and rolled over him at the same time. She leaned down to kiss him.

"Let me show you how happy."

The next morning they had to part ways as Stephanie's mother stole her away into the morning, grabbing Tristan along the way, citing that since she was a girl, she should get ready with the rest of the girls. Stephanie found herself in another suite getting her hair done while her nails were being given a manicure. She felt very primped at the moment and while it was fun, she was really anticipating how Chris would see her. When they'd been married before, she'd just grabbed whatever looked nicest and tried her best to look presentable, but this was the real deal right now and she was going to look so different.

"You're going to look beautiful," Linda said, sitting next to her daughter with her granddaughter in her lap. "Are you nervous?"

"Not at all," she told her. She couldn't be nervous because she and Chris were already married. "I'm more ready for this day to just come and go and be with Chris."

"That's a good way to look at it," Linda said. "Plus, I guess you've already done this married thing before, but I didn't get to do it right with you the last time. I want you to be happy, darling. I want to make sure Chris is the one for you. You've made a mistake before…"

"I'm sure, Mom, trust me, I've never felt better going into anything in my life," she responded, checking herself in the mirror and seeing a warm smile making her skin glow. She couldn't wait to see Chris. "Mom, how do you know you want to stay with Dad forever? Is it just a feeling you have or do you just know it?"

"I just know it because who else would put up with him?" Linda joked and Stephanie laughed. "What do you feel with Chris?"

"Like I know I'm going to be with him forever. How could I have been so stupid before, not seeing it, treating him horribly, keeping Trist from him."

"Daddy," Tristan giggled as they talked about her father.

"Yes, Daddy, that one in the same," Stephanie said. "He's incredible. He didn't get to be there for my pregnancy, didn't get to be there for her birth or the first few weeks of her life and still, he loves her and loves me in spite of that. What man does that really?"

"A good man who loves you," Linda said. "Someone who deserves someone like you. You're a very good person, Stephanie, don't think otherwise and I'm sure Chris knows just how lucky he's going to be today and everyday from now on. Look what you gave him, of course he loves you."

Stephanie looked at Tristan, who was busy looking at a blush that she had grabbed from someone. She loved her daughter and could see more of Chris in her everyday. Things were going to work this time. Things were going to work out and after everything, she hoped it all worked out easy and without complications.

"So you nervous?" Jeff asked Chris as they were adjusting their ties.

"Nope," Chris said cockily.

"I was nervous," Matt said wistfully.

"I'm sorry," Chris said, turning around to Matt, who was sitting morosely in a chair. "Dude, you maybe want to get out of here, go grab a beer before the ceremony or something?"

"And risk you spilling all over yourself or showing up to your wedding drunk, no," Matt told him. "I'll be fine. I'm _totally_ not thinking about my failed marriage and wedding that probably should never have happened."

"Don't say that," Jeff said, sending an apologetic look to Chris. He didn't want Matt bringing the guy down on his _wedding day_. "You and Lita did have something, it just didn't work out, but you're still getting a kid out of it."

"Oh yeah, a kid and no wife, broken up before it's even born, I mean, who does that? I'm a failure."

"You're not a failure," Chris said. "You'll find someone."

"No, I won't."

"You will," Jeff nodded. "There are plenty of women out there and just because you kind of struck out with one doesn't mean you aren't going to find the one you're supposed to be with. Look at Chris, Stephanie was married when he fell in love with her and it took her forever to figure out she loved him. They worked out and you'll find someone you work out with."

"Lita was perfect for me," Matt said. "She told me this morning that she's going to file as soon as she gets home. She's going to file for divorce and we haven't even been married for a year. I'm one of those guys, the guys that get married and break up in a blink of an eye."

"In the end, it'll work out for the best, you'll see," Chris said. "It usually does."

"It won't."

"It will," Jeff said.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Matt said, getting up and walking out of the room.

Jeff turned to Chris, "I'm really sorry about him, man, I know that this is supposed to be your day and not about him, but he's just really upset about Lita filing for divorce so she can run into Hunter's arms."

"I don't think that's how it worked out."

"I know, but I have to be mad at them for the sake of my brother," Jeff shrugged. "I just don't understand how she couldn't find this out before the wedding and the baby and all that. It would have saved everyone a lot of trouble."

"She didn't know."

"She should have," Jeff snapped, then shook his head. "No, I promised myself I wasn't going to get into this mess and I'm not. I'm just disappointed in her for doing this to him and right now while she's pregnant."

"It's not good to stay together for a kid."

"I know, but she just could have used better timing is all," he responded, but then remembered himself. "So dude, getting married, this is going to be exciting, right? I mean, you and Stephanie forever. You're going to be with her _forever_, one woman for the rest of your life. Is Stephanie the type who will kill you if you look at another woman? That wouldn't bode well for you if she is."

"Stephanie can appreciate a beautiful woman," Chris grinned. "She's perfect that way."

"You two are going to be happy, I can tell," Jeff said.

"We already are," Chris told him. "Hey, if I told you a secret, you promise you'll keep it, like you _swear_ that you'll keep it?"

"Yeah of course, is Stephanie pregnant again?" Jeff asked.

"No, no," Chris said, "at least I don't know if she is, so if she is then that's a surprise to _me_ too. But Stephanie and I are already married."

"What?" Jeff said, shocked. "What!"

"Yeah," Chris laughed at his friend's reaction. "We just couldn't wait and we were kind of feeling like this wedding wasn't just for us anymore so we took Tristan and we went and got married. We'd already had the marriage license so it wasn't like we _had_ to wait. We already told the officiant that we were married and he knows and so he's cool with it, but yeah, we just wanted something special for ourselves."

"So why are you going through with a wedding today?"

"For everyone else pretty much," Chris said. "We wanted all our friends and family to be here and see how in love we are and share in it and then party until dawn with us. Still, it's our special thing and I like that we have our own little anniversary."

"Well…congratulations!" Jeff hugged Chris and Chris slapped his back. "No wonder you're not nervous, _were_ you nervous when you actually got married?"

"No, I was happier than anything else," he said as a knock came to the door. He went over to it and saw Shane and Vince on the other side. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"We want to talk to you…alone," Shane said, looking over his shoulder at Jeff.

"Um, yeah, okay," Jeff said, grabbing Matt as he came out of the bathroom and ushering him out of the room. "Good luck," he mouthed to Chris. Vince stared down his future (current) son-in-law.

"So Chris, I think it's time we had _the_ talk."


	100. Chapter 100

A/N: So, many moons ago, I was reading some Smoochy fanfiction and decided that I could do that as well. So I sat down at my laptop (two laptops ago) and cranked out this short, simple opening chapter and posted it that same evening, not sure anyone would like it or even read it. Much to my surprise, people did read it and did like it and I decided I liked this whole writing thing and I would keep at it.

76+ stories later and my first story just kept going and going, but now the end has finally come. I'm not totally happy with this chapter, but I will leave that into the hands of you the readers. For anyone who has read since the beginning, thank you so much for coming on this crazy journey with me. It's been fun and long and this story will always, always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first and because of all of you, I still write this crazy couple who I might love more now than I did back then. So thank you and if you want to leave a review, please do so, but above all else, just enjoy. :)

For Peg.

* * *

"The talk?"

"Yes, the talk," Shane said as he and Vince stood by the door, looking like they were mafia assassins and any plan at escape would be futile. The tuxes didn't help with the look either. Chris wasn't nervous though, how could he be when he was already married to Stephanie. Whatever they said were just words and he understood that they were going to be protective over Stephanie; he planned to be the same way over Tristan.

"Okay," Chris sat down and leaned back in his chair, then gestured towards the other chairs in the room, "have a seat and lay it on me."

"It'll be quick," Vince said, making no move to actually sit down. He jerked his thumb between himself and Shane, "We love Stephanie, we're her family and we love her."

"Understood," Chris told them.

"We don't want you to hurt her. She's already been through more than enough hurt in her lifetime and with Hunter…we just don't want her to get hurt again and we want to make sure you don't hurt her," Shane said.

Chris took a deep breath and then looked up at his family (though they had no idea that's what they were at this very moment). "I get it, guys. I get that you're protective of Stephanie and I get that you love her and I love her too. I can't promise that we're not going to fight or that we're not going to yell at each other or hurt each other sometimes, but at the end of the day, I love Stephanie. Whatever obstacles come in our way, we'll scale them together because that's what we've been doing. We've both made our share of mistakes in the past and there are going to be some in the future, but we've also learned from those past mistakes that whatever happens, we can handle it. I'm in this with Stephanie for however long I've got left and I know she is too. You can worry about her all you want, but I will take care of her and she'll take care of me."

Both men appeared to be more at ease and Shane stuck his hand out, "Then welcome to the family."

Chris stood up and shook his hand and then shook Vince's, thanking them both for _the talk_. When they were gone, it was just him alone with his thoughts. He thought all the pomp and circumstance of the day was pretty overblown, but underneath it all, it was a celebration of him and Stephanie and how could he hate that? It felt like it had been years upon years since they'd been locked in that locker room. And today didn't feel so much like an ending, but like a beginning and he liked to think of it as the start of something great (well, a couple weeks ago was the start of something great, but for dramatic effect, he made this day special in its own right, being that he could finally tell everyone he was married).

There was a soft knock on the door and he went over and opened it and was surprised to find Stephanie on the other side. She wasn't in her dress yet; she was wearing a pink robe and flip-flops, but her hair was done and so was her makeup. She smiled conspiratorially at him and stepped inside, hugging him tightly. He smiled as he hugged her back, holding onto her and feeling calmer than he had since he'd woken up this morning.

"How's it going in here?" she asked, then looked around, "why are you all by yourself?"

"Well, I was with Matt and Jeff, but then Matt was being a complete downer because he couldn't stop thinking about Lita and his failed marriage so Jeff took him out of here when your father and brother showed up to talk to me about how I can't hurt you, which I think is something that all guys have to do before their sisters or daughters get married. I better get my speeches for Tristan ready now."

She laughed, "They didn't hassle you too much, did they?"

"Nah, they were pretty nice about it, I plan to be extremely intimidating," he winked at her.

"Good luck, Trist," Stephanie laughed. "She's looking adorable by the way, you are going to fall in love with the both of us all over again."

"I didn't have to see her to fall in love with her," Chris said, "just knowing about her was enough to love her."

"And this is why I'm keeping you around," Stephanie said, pulling at the buttons of his shirt. "Do you think it would be awful of us to have sex right before the ceremony?"

"We're already married so who would care?" Chris said. "Not like we were all that careful before we were married anyways, I think Tristan is proof positive of that."

"You're right," she said, "and we have some time, but you're pretty much already dressed…"

"Clothes come off," he said, leaning forward and kissing her neck. He started to fumble with the belt of her robe and when he untied it, he pushed the garment off her shoulders, letting it pool in a heap of silk on the floor. He took a step back to look at her, "well damn."

"You like what you see?"

He looked at her in her corset and thong with nothing else on, "Um, yeah, that a yes."

Her cell phone went off in the pocket of her robe. She picked it up and she looked at the screen, seeing it was her mother. She pressed a finger to her lips to let him know to be quiet, "Hello, Mom."

"Where are you?" Linda asked. "We have to get you in your dress!"

"I'm just taking a walk, I'll be right up," she said, rolling her eyes at Chris, who leaned in to kiss her neck. "We're not even in a rush, Mom, we've still got an hour and a half before we have to be there."

"I know, but I want to make sure we're on time. I don't want Chris thinking that he's being left at the altar."

"I don't think he's going to think that," Stephanie said as Chris pressed his ear to the phone as well. "I think he knows that I'm going to show up."

Chris nodded and she shoved at him, but he just pulled her closer as he held her. She leaned her chin on his shoulder as she listened to her mother. "Well, just get back up here, please, you're kind of the one that we need to get this whole thing going."

"Okay, Mom, I'm coming back," she said, "I'll be right up there, now bye, Mom."

"Thank you," Linda said before Stephanie hung up the phone and pulled away from Chris. "I better get up there before my mom freaks out more than she already is. I'm glad we did it this way though. She wanted this so bad and your mom keeps crying in happiness. I wish I was down here and by myself like you, unless my dad started crying."

"No, no tears," Chris said, then kissed her cheek, "I don't want to ruin your makeup. I'll see you in about an hour?"

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away."

He thought he'd known Stephanie, thought that nothing could surprise him with her, but seeing her in a proper wedding dress was something else entirely. The dress was simple, a strapless gown that fell into a full skirt, but it was just the way she looked in it. The whole effect stole his breath away and when he saw her, if he wasn't sure before, he was sure as hell sure now that he'd made the right decision, that marrying her had been the absolute right choice. Her hand in his when she made it up to him just reassure him of his decision. He smiled crookedly at her as she mouthed hello to him and he mouthed it back to her.

The ceremony went by in a blur of words and smiles and clapping at the end when they were announced they were Mr. and Mrs. Jericho. Chris whooped it up, high-fiving everyone as he walked down the aisle. Stephanie shook her head at his cheekiness and when they were through the doors, Chris picked up Stephanie and spun her around, kissing her again. She giggled and held onto him, looking down at him as he grinned up at her.

"We're married…again!" he told her and she nodded enthusiastically. "So now we get to party?"

"Now we get to party," she told him as they rushed off to the limo waiting for them.

The room seemed to sway with the music as everyone danced and drank and ate and did whatever they were doing as Chris sat with Stephanie and Tristan at the head table. Stephanie was leaning her head against Chris as Tristan slept in his arms. She grabbed for Chris's hand and he turned and kissed the top of her head. The day had been tiring for all of them and they were glad it was nearly over.

"They look cute, don't you think?" Lita said, looking over at Chris and Stephanie as she and Hunter danced with each other.

"They look happy," Hunter said, glancing over at them. "I'm happy for them."

"Me too, it took them long enough to get it together," Lita said, tightening her arms around Hunter's neck. "You know, we planned them getting stuck in a room together, well, not me exactly, but I had a hand in it."

"So I have you to thank for getting a divorce and believing that Tristan was mine?" Hunter joked with her and Lita had the decency to blush over that. "Of course, if you hadn't done that, then I wouldn't be dancing with you right now and I wouldn't be ridiculously happy to have you."

"Nice one," she told him, leaning up and kissing his chin, then she looked around furtively. She knew that she was ready to commit to something with Hunter, but she was still keenly aware that Matt was somewhere in the room.

"It'll get easier," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I know," she told him, "it's just going to take some time. I still…you know, it's just…"

"I know," he said, not making her say what she was thinking, "but I wouldn't encourage this thing between the two of us if I didn't think we could have something here, I hope you know that. I'm not in this to make Matt miserable or steal you away from him."

"I know, I trust you, strange though it may be," she laughed and leaned against him. "I do trust you. Isn't it strange how all this worked out? I didn't intend for this plan to end with me with you."

"Neither did I," he told her, "but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out."

"Me too," she told him, leaning up to kiss him softly, "me too."

Chris and Stephanie looked at Lita and Hunter and laughed at the two of them looking more lovey-dovey than he and Stephanie were. "You happy?" Chris asked.

"Absolutely," Stephanie said. "I don't think I could be happier if I tried. I finally get to tell people that we're married, we have Tristan with us and we're just disgustingly happy with each other, what could be better than that?"

"Um, getting you up to the honeymoon suite?" Chris whispered in her ear, pressing his lips to his temple.

"You'll get that soon enough," she told him, grabbing his free hand and giving it a squeeze, "and then tomorrow…"

"The rest of our lives?" he finished for her.

"I was thinking that we get to go on our honeymoon, but I like the sound of that too."

"Then the rest of our lives it is."

THE END


End file.
